Final Fantasy VI 2 Part II: Clyde's Odyssey
by MetalShadow-3000
Summary: Part two of an epic two-part sequel to Final Fantasy VI. The World of Ruin has been ruined even further, and the ruthless Thomas Geeda has more power at his disposal than anyone ever imagined. The scattered heroes will find new resolve to uncover his mysterious plans and stop him once and for all in this conclusion to Clyde's epic adventure.
1. Disorder and Hope

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

Disclaimer: Copyright to the Final Fantasy names in this story goes to the writers at what is now Square Enix and I do not own any characters in this story, etc. etc.

**Prologue:**

In a very peculiar sequence of events, the noble team responsible for the defeat of Kefka Palazzo was reunited to fight against another evil that threatened the stability of their world. Unbeknownst to the team until moments before entering the final battle, Clyde Arrowny, formerly known as the mercenary-assassin Shadow, was amongst them during this period, and he had purposefully thrown away his former identity after a failed suicidal attempt to go down with Kefka's Tower. Along with new comrades such as Siegfried, the noble swordsman and mercenary, the long thought lost Daryl who was the previously unknown identity of Gogo the mimc, and Sir Owzer of Jidoor, the group reunited and traveled across the world, battling monstrous incarnations of their former esper guardians that were turned mad by the magical powers of a mysterious man known as Thomas Geeda.

Many successful engagements against the espers led the heroes on a great journey towards a final confrontation with Thomas Geeda himself. However, utilizing an ancient magical power from the arcane Crystal Tear, Geeda practically repeated history and brought the world once again into a ruin by flooding it entirely, similar to the catastrophe caused by Kefka only a year before. The heroes were disbanded and scattered across the land, fearing that they had lost entirely. Now, under the powerful hand of Thomas Geeda and his remaining espers, the World of Ruin has become a giant ocean with an incredible struggle for survival amongst the slowly deteriorating governments and townships all around the world that were fortunate enough to survive The Flood. Independent pirate factions roam the vast seas, the New Empire attempts to hold the world together with its strong navy, despite repeated assaults by Thomas Geeda's newly formed Legion of the People, a large group of individuals who have been taken in by his promises of prosperity through a cleansing of the land and the defeat of the 'tyrannical' empire.

We begin this second part of the story only a little more than a month after the initial collapse of the world.

**Chapter I – Disorder and Hope**

Zantalore City was now the largest establishment in the world. Surrounded by a great stone wall that rose from the deep land shelf in the sea around it, it housed the massive empire of Lord Thomas Geeda and his infamous Legion of the People. This city had every shop and business anyone could dream of, a long harbor, a huge castle, sturdy underwater supports, and a surprisingly successful trade business with the remaining towns in the world. It was a place where several had taken refuge after The Flood, and saw no choice but to indebt themselves to this empire that promised them security and happiness. It was their 'destiny' as Geeda himself put it. Naturally, however, most of those who were not part of the Legion of the People itself despised Thomas Geeda and wished to see his demise. He was not worried, however, as it was to his knowledge that the greatest threat to the control he held had been dealt with. But, no one seemed to notice the three very suspicious-looking people that were sneaking around the city in dark robes, following Lord Geeda who was himself dressed in a handsome black uniform and cape as he strolled down the street with his elite guard, the Trine.

"Remember, I want that new stock of armor to be heavily inspected this time. Lord Valkin must have planted that cursed helmet in there as a little present for me, and we cannot afford to let our guard down," said Thomas to one of the guards.

"It will be done sir," replied the elite.

The Trine was a mere group of three men. However, despite this low number, no one could touch Thomas Geeda when they were around. They were, so far, undefeated in battle and had skills with weapons only matched by Tom himself, also being gifted with a large degree of magic by their master, and more so than any of his other followers to enhance his own protection. The three of them wore almost identical, gold-colored heavy armor but were very easily differentiated. Lanceus was a bulky, large man and had a helmet shaped like a dragon's head. Bediveus was a shorter, stocky fellow whose helmet was shaped like as serpent's head. Galleus was tall and thin, and he wore a helmet similar to the head of a wolf. Also, though not always the same, Lanceus preferred to use a broadsword, Bediveus an axe, and Galleus a pair of smaller swords. Geeda took pride in the Trine and often smiled at the looks of fear from the civilians when they passed on the way to the castle.

"Oh, sir… I have a message from Mobliz that is requesting two day's grace for their shipment, due to difficulties in the town," said Lanceus in his deep, gravelly voice.

"Very well… I suppose I can spare them the time," Geeda said with a sigh.

The four men arrived at the large, stone gatehouse, identified themselves, and made quick entry through the thick wooden doors while the citizens of Zantalore watched cautiously. Being in the presence of Tom Geeda always brought out a nervous tick in people. Then, from out of the shadows of a nearby shop came the three sneaky individuals who had followed the four through the city, donned in great black cloaks. They made a lengthy observation of the great iron fence surrounding the castle grounds.

"It seems that entry will be most difficult," said a man with a very dignified tone.

"Doesn't look like we can crawl over this fence without being seen either," came the voice of a woman.

"Maybe I can bend the bars!" exclaimed an eager fellow.

"And have the guards shoot us dead on the spot?" said the girl, gesturing to the many towers placed intermittently throughout Zantalore City, and concentrated most around the castle.

"Well, way to think this plan through guys," the eager one scoffed.

"We shall find a means," replied the other man.

"Let's get out of the street though… people are starting to look at us funny," said the woman, leading them back into an alleyway.

_**Elsewhere**_

A man with long, blonde hair and a dirty merchant's outfit watched as the Doberman pranced around in the rain with gloomy, light gray skies above… sunlight never able to penetrate. The past month had been difficult with that dog around, as he had very limited control over it, but he was thankful for its protection in this vile city of Zozo.

"Hey, Interceptor! Come on boy! Let's go inside!" Edgar Figaro beckoned, whistling at the dog.

Interceptor stopped and looked at him curiously. It always took several tries before the animal even became responsive to the king, who lost patience with every passing day.

"Get in here, you! Let's go!"

Interceptor seemed to get the idea and made a quick trot through the rain back into the inn where he and Edgar had claimed lodging. Halting next to Edgar, Interceptor shook the water from his body and then made way to the corner he had claimed as is own, laying down on his bed cushion.

"Wonderful, dog… wonderful," Edgar grumbled, trying to brush the water from his clothes, a former merchant's outfit that he had found lying around in the building upon his arrival some time ago and a suitable replacement for his soaked kingly robes.

Zozo, being a run-down village at the base of a mountain, received heavy flooding at first, but due to its position on a partial land slope, the water washed away quickly and now basically sat only feet away from the hamlet itself. This only made Zozo that much more secluded from the world, being surrounded by mountains on one side and now water on the other. A few of the crafty thieves had fashioned makeshift boats to flee the area, but no one ever actually sailed _to_ the village and only a handful of individuals called it home. Edgar found it fortunate that he was able to catch a messenger pigeon and send a note of encouragement to whomever it would reach out in the ruined world… maybe giving them some hope for the future. However, that was well over a month ago.

"Bah, we've got to find a way out of here, boy. If only those thieves hadn't used up all the necessary supplies to make those stupid boats…" Edgar huffed.

He often wondered if his friends were doing all right. The last person he saw before being washed away was his own brother, and he worried about him every day since. He didn't know if the airship had been able to fly away, or if Clyde had escaped either after falling from the mountain, but he had a feeling that they were all out there, blending in to their surroundings until a miracle arrived that would help them defeat Geeda once and for all. He gave a smile when suddenly, he heard the coo of a messenger pigeon above. His heart gave a start and an overwhelming sensation of curiosity and potential joy hit him like a rock.

After a month's time, had someone replied?! Interceptor's ears perked up with his head, and Edgar ran up the stairs of the inn to the second floor landing and out the door to the balcony. There, resting on the rail with soaking wet feathers, was a pigeon with a wet note. He snatched it eagerly and read the blotchy ink.

_Edgar, if this is you, and you're where I think you are… send me the time. Hope has not been lost, friend. –Locke Cole_

To anyone else, 'send me the time' would be a complete mystery… but Edgar knew immediately what Locke meant and quickly found his pen in the room, scribbling down the numbers 6:10:50 in big print on the paper. He hastily reattached the note and sent the bird off to where it had come from, his stomach doing ecstatic flips as he watched it soar away in the rain. Hope had not been lost at all.

_**Later**_

Thomas Geeda sat quietly in his study, drinking a glass of red wine and staring out the window into the night, where he could see his entire city beneath him from that tower of the castle. It was always a comforting feeling being above everyone in such a literal sense, and he prided himself on the supreme control he possessed. A knock to the door brought him out of his day dreaming and turned his attention to this visitor.

"Enter," he commanded.

Bediveus, the short knight, entered as ordered and bowed deeply before his master, holding his helmet to his side. He looked upon his master with his curious, bearded face and large eyes.

"Ah, what brings you here, loyal Bediveus?" Geeda asked.

"My Lord, we have received word of some suspicious activity from Mobliz. Apparently, a man named Hobbes has been sending out anonymous messages in secret, and we know not of his intentions," the guard explained, having a surprisingly sonorous voice for his size.

"Hmm. First, two day's grace for shipment… then a questionable business in delivering unknown messages. Perhaps you should speak with Zirgen and have him investigate."

"Master Thade is busy in Narshe, Lord Geeda. He is there temporarily replacing the Chancellor, who departed this morning for negotiations in Thamasa."

"Damn, seemed to have slipped my mind. Very well. Just tell the men in Mobliz to confiscate anything suspect from our friend Hobbes."

"Yes sir. Is there anything you require?" Bediveus asked as he stepped halfway out of the room.

"Nothing. You may leave now."

Thomas stood from his large, leather chair as his sentry left. Still sipping from his wine, he paced around the room and continued to watch the night scene outside. Often when he strolled about, he took time to admire his beautiful study with its polished candelabra, fine-looking shelves with books looking fresh out of print, a small upright piano, various trinkets laid on wonderful red velvet, and a pile of three black cloaks lying on the floor…

"Now!"

Tom jerked his sword from the scabbard on his belt, blocking just in time as Siegfried came leaping from the shadows in the room, dressed in a shabby white tunic and brown trousers. The two clashed blades viciously before Sabin, armed with a large iron gauntlet, stepped in and knocked Tom upside the head, where he was caught by Daryl and thrown against the wall. The trio advanced upon him, and he pulled up the Crystal Tear, attached to his left hand by a rope around his wrist. They hesitated for a moment and ducked as he fired Demi at them. The three gave out a loud groan as the dark matter surrounded their bodies and took all of their energy away. They all collapsed in a heap, the magic rendering them absolutely useless at the moment.

"Well, what a surprise this is!" Thomas said with a chuckle as he stood from the ground, eyes averting to the door as the Trine came bursting through, fully armored.

"Sir, we heard a struggle!" Lanceus exclaimed through his dragon helmet.

Geeda gave a smug gesture to the three heroes crumpled on the ground before him. The three guards stowed their weapons away and grabbed them each by their necks, pulling them to their feet while they could hardly stand.

"Come here to whack the boss?" said Galleus in his quiet, mellow tone.

"Mm, these three are part of the team that made my life so much more difficult before I took power. It's somewhat startling to see their rebellious, vengeful faces again," said Thomas.

"Shall we kill them here?" asked Bediveus.

"I was thinking that we might have a use for them in Narshe. Granted, I had expected them to die in The Flood… but I suppose that was hardly a challenge after battling my espers. Yes, take them to Narshe and hand them over to my overseers there. Perhaps Zirgen will understand me," said Geeda.

The three men nodded and dragged the weak triad out of the room. Daryl looked around in a panic, absolutely delirious as to what was taking place, she could only recall glimpses of the great castle as they were hauled through. The outside was just a blur, and the Trine was very determined in delivering the heroes to the east harbor where they would subsequently place them on a prison ship to Narshe. They were all so weak that none of them comprehended that they were being sent off to be enslaved in the coal mines that had garnered a large number of individuals who fought or spoke out against Lord Geeda's regime. The confusion never wavered until they noticed themselves arriving in the cold, snowy city.

"Well, looks like that plan failed," moaned Sabin, noticing with surprise that his gauntlet had been taken away.

"We cannot let ourselves be defeated by this foul organization. Thou must persevere!" said Siegfried as he was pushed along the freezing ground by a Legion guard from the snow-covered planks of the docks.

"We'll have to keep the whole 'hate Thomas Geeda' bit down for a while though," Daryl whispered after catching the suspicious glances of some soldiers.

They were marched through the busy streets of Narshe, where it seemed many had taken up residence after all of the dangerous creatures roaming about were basically 'evicted'. Though Daryl and Siegfried had ever seen the city in the World of Balance, it was so much more active and had even expanded through the mountains some, requiring considerably more residential areas. But, as they trudged forward through the snow, high civilization began to slowly blur into absolute destitution when the slaves came into view. All of them were filthy and dressed in nasty brown rags as they shuffled back and forth, mining, carrying buckets of water and coal, pushing rail trolleys, and so on. Drilling them all to the core were several heavyset, muscular men cracking giant bullwhips. It was a pitiful and terrifying image.

"We're dead," Sabin gasped.

"Don't be negative!" Daryl pleaded.

After being shoved through the vast, tortuous caverns of the Narshe colliery, they were dumped off in a small chamber that had been carved into the cave walls and was decorated like a sort of business office, complete with a metal door. In this office, they had dropped onto their hands and knees from their weakness, looking up at a tall, thin man wearing a large maroon robe.

He had a shallow, sunken face with a black mustache and long beard, accompanied by circular spectacles that sat upon his pointed nose. The three of them looked up apprehensively at the man as he grinned.

"Mmm, Thomas sent me a message about you three. Caused him a bit of trouble, have you?" he said in a brooding voice.

"Maybe if he weren't-"

"Silence, fool! I often speak in rhetorical questions, and you will only speak when I request it of you. Is that clear?" the man said angrily.

Sabin was about to speak again, but he caught the nudge from Daryl and shut his mouth.

"Good. Your silence means a lot to me. Well, unfortunately for you, you are now going to be under the service of this mining operation, which Lord Geeda holds in high esteem. I will tell you right now that this will be no picnic. You will be driven to your cores and made to work harder and faster than you ever have in your life. Now, normally Thomas would prefer to execute anyone who has made an attempt on his life, but he seems to be under the impression that your imprisonment in an inescapable hell will be much more suitable torture," the man explained somewhat cryptically.

"Oh yeah?! Well-"

"SHUT UP!" he roared, blasting Sabin with a quick jet of flame that knocked him flat on the ground.

Daryl and Siegfried continued to stare at the ground, remaining still on all fours before the seething man. His look of ire quickly disappeared and he brought himself to smile.

"So, without further ado, welcome to your doom, the Zantalore Mining Project. I am a temporary replacement here while the director of the mines is away on a short business trip. My name is Zirgen Thade, but you will refer to me as Sir."

He snapped his long, skeletal fingers loudly and the door behind the three opened. They were pulled up from the ground very roughly and shoved back down the hall. Sabin could barely walk now, and Siegfried seemed to be in some sort of meditative state. Daryl, however, was actually afraid. Thomas Geeda wanted them to try and escape, just because he knew that he had the power to stop them in such small numbers. Everything had happened so quickly, and as she reflected on it, she had always feared that their insidious attack on Thomas would be foiled somehow, yet she still convinced Sabin and Siegfried to take the risk… even with all of her friends around, they probably would've lost. It was a really dumb plan.

"Move, maggots!" shouted an overseer ahead, pushing a line of slaves forward.

She almost felt the urge to cry after getting themselves in this situation after a month of safety in Zantalore itself. Why did she rush into that stupid plan, and why did her comrades agree with her? She had found them just a week after the Flood when Sabin and Siegfried had stowed away on a ship from South Figaro. Their original plan was to get on the inside of the Legion, and they decided it would be best to attack Thomas himself. Of course, Sabin even protested the idea at first, and she had still persisted. How stupid could she be?! She had entrapped them, and their other friends were probably dead by now! Suddenly, she felt a jolt of surprise when the line of slaves passed by. For a split second, she made eye contact with a mildly familiar face, and despite the lack of mustache and his untied hair, she could already sense the presence of Cyan Garamonde as he passed, showing an equal amount of surprise before they disappeared from each other's views.

"Keep walking, Blondie," a soldier growled at her.

She continued forward after her friends, and they were quickly deposited before a massive pile of coal rocks, where two other people where already scooping up the minerals into buckets at their sides.

"Start loading."

_Author's Notes: Here it is, the continuation of the epic tale. I am hoping that this portion of the story will be much better constructed and support itself with less continuity errors. Oh, and updates for now will be a lot slower, since I've had a lot to do lately, and whenever I spend too much time writing I start losing quality. So, bare with me for a while. I'm hoping that eventually I'll be able to be as quick as I was with the first part. Enjoy.  
_


	2. The Eighth Dream

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter II – The Eighth Dream**

He sat quietly in the slaves' cabin, leaning over on his bed. For half a month now, he had been filthy, unshaven, fatigued, and generally hopeless all around. It seemed like fortune at first when a band of unruly, dastardly pirates pulled him up from the sea, but he had begun to regret that encounter not too long after. Sure, he had the skills to take all of them on, but what would be the use when he had no idea how to helm a ship? If he killed them all, where would he go? He couldn't work the ship alone, swimming would be suicide, he wouldn't even consider using a tiny rowboat to find safety, seeing as how he swore he had seen a glimpse of Ultros not long after The Flood. For now, Clyde Arrowny was stuck on this vessel of cunning corsairs as a slave to their needs… and he had to stay adjusted.

"Yo, Clyde," whispered his bunk partner that slept on the top.

"Yes, Malain?" Clyde whispered back.

"What we be doin' here still? I thought you says we have a plan to get off 'dis here boat!"

"Patience… that's all we need. Patience," he replied.

Malain was a dark-skinned man who spoke in what Clyde considered a strange accent. He was tall, lean, and muscular with a very serious face and a quirky wisdom about him that showed every so often. He was well mannered and was Clyde's only friend and ally on this ship. Having been apart of the ship's slave crew during the time of Kefka, Malain was accustomed to his subservient life and found sympathy for Clyde's plight when he told his tale. None of the pirates believed that he had really fought against Kefka, though. It was through this that Clyde found an immense respect for him due to a simple gesture of trust.

"Ya mon, 'patience' what you been sayin' for three days now," Malain answered dubiously as he rolled over to go to sleep.

Clyde understood Malain's restlessness, because he had been formulating a plan of escape for quite some time now… but that same thing always came to mind. Where would he go and how would he get there? Even with two people working the ship, he had absolutely no serious experience at sea, and he doubted Malain did either. He hated conflicting ideas like that, especially when he was in dire need of escaping poor circumstances. So, to hopefully put it away from his mind, he relaxed in his bed and went to sleep, finally getting used to the constant rocking of the ship so much that he never noticed.

"Well, what is this? Another survivor…" growled a deep voice in his sleep.

"What the hell?!" Clyde said to himself in his dream, looking around a pitch-black space nervously.

"I never thought to even make this connection with you again after The Flood. I can see that you are all stronger than the master thought."

"Thomas? What do you want?!" Clyde yelled.

"No, fool. Lord Geeda is unaware of your existence at this moment. But there is no doubt that he will be rather surprised… first the mimic, then the swordsman, the figher, and now you… oh it's so delicious, sir."

"Who are you?!"

"That is of little consequence… I will let you enjoy your sleep for now. But be warned, you will be found… and you will most certainly not enjoy it when you are. I plan to keep in touch with you regularly again, so beware when you go to sleep."

"STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!" Clyde screamed, suddenly rousing himself awake along with the rest of the sleeping slaves.

"What's going on?!"

"Who's yelling?!"

"What was that?!"

It was chaos when everyone tried to move about at once, running into each other and falling all over the floor. However, despite their startled yells and crashing, the rest of the ship seemed ignorant to the sound, and the slaves steadily recollected themselves from the disruptive havoc, looking around in the room lit by only one candle.

"Who screamed?" demanded a large man in rags.

"I-" Clyde began.

"'Twas me, Jorgan!" Malain interrupted.

"Malain? What's the problem?"

"I think I been havin' a bad nightmare and it gave me an awful scare," he said.

"Well, grow some balls in your sleep then!" a man grumbled as he climbed back into bed.

The others murmured their similar sentiments as they grumpily returned to their bunks. Clyde mouthed a quiet "Thank you" to Malain as they got into their own beds, hoping that the night would continue with no further interruptions.

To Clyde's relief, he slept peacefully for the rest of the night before being rudely awakened as he was every morning, pushed around to swab the deck and basically tidy up the ship for the next several hours. It was a good-sized wind sailing sea vessel that always required cleaning in just about every nook and cranny, which took an eternity. But, he had quickly learned not to complain, as an unfortunate soul found out the hard way during Clyde's second week on the ship. It was a tale none of the slaves wanted to recite.

"Put some back into it!" shouted one of the raggedy scoundrels as Clyde and Malain wearily scrubbed the deck with disgusting rags.

"Captain, Geeda's military forces have been starting to patrol this area tightly! Shall we still proceed, sir?" called the helmsman of the ship.

"You think that snake scares me?! To hell with him! We continue!" the large oaf of a sea captain bellowed.

Clyde often heard mention of Thomas Geeda in the company of these pirates. It seemed that due to the New Empire's fragile state, the pirates of this vast sea were Geeda's only threat at current… yet the stories of utter annihilation of entire fleets hardly seemed like a myth to Clyde… and he had a bad feeling about the captain's brash decision.

"Hey, you there! You say you met Thomas Geeda once, yes?" one of the less charismatic of the pirates called to Clyde.

Once? That was laughable.

"I had the misfortune of running into Thomas Geeda several times," said Clyde.

"Still runs that cockamamie story like some legendary hero," said another, glaring at Clyde.

"Don't worry mon, I still believe ya," Malain whispered.

"Thank you, Malain," Clyde whispered back.

"Yeah, I hear tell this boy actually _fought_ Geeda!"

"Haha! This scrawny thing fights Thomas Geeda and lives? You're a shrimp, boy! How could you face the greatest swordsman in the world?"

"Just another phony trying to take some glorious credit!"

"Don't talk out of line, slave!"

"He's got a point though!"

A humongous splash in the distance silenced them all, and a wave of fear swept over Clyde. Whoever contacted him through his dreams was right… he had been found. He could not comprehend how he knew this, but it was just a familiar, sickening feeling in his stomach as the ocean rippled heavily from the splash. For a split second, he thought he caught a glimpse of something white beneath the surface of the water, but he was distracted by the crew as they all ran to the starboard right side to investigate the incident.

"Maybe it's a sea monster!"

"It could be a submarine!"

"Maybe it was just a bomb!"

The ship gave a sudden, uneasy lurch as something heavy bumped into the hull. The tremor was enough to disorient them for a moment, and as Clyde doubled over onto the deck… he swore he noticed a flash of a great, white, fluke-shaped tail rise and fall back into the water. The pirates starting running across the deck, many of them preparing their pistols and the few cannons that sat around. Most of the world's pirates had at least upgraded to small lasers, but these men happened to come upon a large cache of gunpowder once on a deserted island… and they took full advantage of it.

"Get ready for anything! It might just be a whale or a shark, but it could also be something monstrously dangerous!"

"Like a Kraken?!"

"Those don't exist!"

They all jumped in fright as a huge shape shot from the water only yards away. They all stared, frightened. Clyde was really the least surprised now, watching the giant white beast rise into the air with its body curved. Both a whale, and monstrously dangerous, Bismark dove back into the depths and made a charge for the ship. Several men were immediately tossed overboard from the powerful impact of the esper's assault. Many of them started firing into the water with their guns, aiming blindly into the dark blue waters as a small fraction of white vanished beneath the ship. They were caught completely off guard when a huge wave came splashing over the other side, covering the entire deck.

"Aah! Hang on to something tight!" one of them shouted as he was swept from his feet.

"We have to get out of here! This thing will destroy the ship!" Clyde hollered.

"Shut up, you land dwelling yellow-belly!"

The sea erupted right next to the great ship as Bismark's entire form launched into the air, falling dramatically right over the boat as torrents of water cascaded down its large body. Clyde ran to the north most edge of the ship possible when the whale came down, crashing right into the center. The sound of breaking wood echoed loudly when the pirate vessel snapped in half from the esper's weight and everyone was tossed into the sea while the ship sank in several pieces. The men were still shooting blindly into the water and the sky, hoping that a stray bullet might perhaps persuade the beast to leave them be.

"Where is it?! Where did it go?! I can't see it anymore!"

As he plunged into the chilly depths, Clyde was beginning to become annoyed at the way his day had started… and there was no way in hell he would let Bismark finish him off when he had fought so many other espers before. He swam quickly over to Malain, who was clinging on to a piece of driftwood from the ship.

"We have to swim away from here now!" said Clyde.

"Where would we go?!" Malain questioned.

"I don't know! We just have to leave! This thing will kill us if we don't go now!"

"A'right, a'right! We gonna have to be very careful. More things than whales swimmin' about. Latch on to dis here wood and we paddle our feet together!"

Clyde nodded and swam around to Malain's side, grabbing hold of the flat, thick plank. They kicked their legs fiercely while the men around them thrashed about the water. As the two began to float out of the danger zone, the great whale came from the sea with a wide-open mouth, swallowing a huge quantity of pirates. A surge of water pushed the duo even further along, and they gave a victorious glance to the mass of ship debris and frightened buccaneers behind them, with Bismark leaping in the water as it continued to devour the unfortunate sea-farers.

"We did it Malain! Now let's hope we can drift towards some land!" Clyde exclaimed.

His heightened emotion came all too soon when the esper suddenly bellowed and made a charge for Clyde and Malain.

"Spoke too soon, mon!"

Thinking quickly, Clyde let go of the plank and pushed Malain away, forcing the two of them in opposite directions as the whale lunged between them. However, as it passed, they were both caught full on by its wide tail. Instinctive action then took over as they held on tightly to the esper's smooth, slippery skin. Water came rushing at them when the monster descended, and it forcefully twisted and swung its body through the depths. Neither of them would give in to Bismark's mad contortions even through the harsh pressure of the water against their bodies. Then, both were caught by surprise when the esper flicked its tail above the water level and sent them flying through the air where they would crash back into the sea not much farther away, the remains of the ship now a distant blur.

"Damn!" Clyde shouted as he rose up from the water, coughing and sputtering.

"It's comin'!" Malain cried, pointing to the approaching whale with its mouth open wide for them.

Clyde and Malain were startled when the beast gave a sudden halt, as if it had been snagged on something. Then, they both let out a grunt of pain when purple tentacles came flailing out of the water, smacking them around. Bismark's body was overcome by the tentacles and it was roughly pulled under, only to come leaping out of the ocean a second later with the monstrous form of the mutated Ultros wrapped around it. The men watched in horror and awe as the marine titans struggled against each other, neither of them having much of an advantage over the other. Ultros was certainly more versatile with twelve giant tentacles and a huge, gaping mouth of teeth, but Bismarck was much more powerful and easily pulled the octopus around against its will.

"Maybe both will kill each other!" Malain wondered.

Ultros sunk his huge teeth into Bismark's fleshy side, a high pitched screech coming from the whale's mouth is it trembled in pain. The esper swung Ultros around with a forceful turn, freeing itself from his fangs and tentacles completely. Both beasts then charged each other, the giant mollusk receiving a heavy, full-on blow from the whale's wide snout.

"Why are they fighting each other anyway?" Clyde said aloud.

He was sure that Ultros had no benevolent means in mind and was probably trying to best Bismark and take the kill for himself, just like the leech he was in small form. But the whale did not seem so keen on giving up the honor, butting into the purple monster repeatedly in the water, causing great splashes and powerful waves that made Clyde and Malain unsteady in the ocean. The two monsters would momentarily submerge, rise with a struggle, and submerge again… and this pattern continued for quite some time as the two men fought against the powerful waves, trying to swim away from the chaos. Then, Bismark rose from the water with a face covered in black, inky liquid, flailing its head about in an attempt to shake the gooey material off.

"De octopus is a smart one!" said Malain as he swam in a swift front crawl.

A blunt strike suddenly hit Clyde in the stomach as a tentacle whipped into him, wrapping around his arms and torso. He let out a weak grunt as the wind was knocked out of him and Ultros lifted him from the water, along with Malain while Bismarck continued to suffer from the ink covering its face. They observed apprehensively as Ultros slowly ascended and revealed his ugly face again, right eye still scarred from the encounter in Mobliz… Daryl was very skilled.

"Yeah, come on Ultros! You want a piece of me?!" Clyde taunted, feeling the tentacle squeezing him slightly.

The beast gave a hideous growl, showing his several rows of teeth with a yawning mouth. The other ten tentacles swayed close to his body while the two men were at the mercy of the remaining two, unable to move a muscle save for their legs in a futile attempt to kick at their captors. A muffled boom in the distance confused them all for a moment until a heavy cannonball slammed into Ultros' left side, causing it to drop Clyde and Malain back into the ocean. Both men fought madly to reach the surface, kicking their tired legs to stay afloat as two more cannonballs struck Ultros, followed by a bright blue laser shot.

"Who the hell is shooting?!" Clyde shouted, whirling around to see a massive armored battleship, much bigger than the ship he had previously been on.

Ultros splashed the water with his tentacles before giving out a defeated cry. The octopus quickly descended and swam away from its attacker, Bismark also disappearing from the sound of the cannons. The two friends were rather helpless at the moment, and waited patiently as the great vessel neared. The first detail Clyde noticed was the hoisted flag: a white banner with an electric blue tear centered on it…

"Oh shit," he muttered.

"What is it?" Malain asked.

"Bismark and Ultros were just a beacon…"

His worst fears were confirmed when several robed people appeared by the railed edge, most of their faces covered by the shadows of their hoods… he could still tell that their eyes were leering down upon him. One raised his hand in the air, and Clyde felt himself being lifted from the water as if by an invisible rope on his back. He looked over to see Malain levitating just the same, before they were brought to the ship and dropped roughly onto the metallic deck, the very recognizable Legion of the People waiting.

"Welcome," said one of the mages.

Clyde glanced at his surroundings, noting that this ship was far different than the destroyed one half a mile away now. Soldiers and mages were everywhere, busy talking, working, or even lounging around. There were no traditionally made cannons, and instead he saw several turrets with guns on them, and a few specific laser cannons hanging over the edge of the warship. The pirates were rather disorganized, crude, and had little structure save for the relationship of captain to men to slaves. This, in contrast, was completely military and was a very rigid difference.

"The master said it would be a difficult task in apprehending you," said a disappointed woman.

"We were expecting a challenge… and this is all you have to offer?" a gruff male called.

"Perhaps the Flood has made all of the heroes weak…"

"It is no matter, brothers and sisters… we have captured this criminal and will return him to Zantalore."

"What about the dark one?"

"He has a strong body… I doubt Lord Geeda would have any qualms about sending him to Narshe."

"You tell Lord Geeda that this isn't over yet," Clyde growled.

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it?!" said several of them at once.

Clyde said nothing and averted his eyes to the ground. He could have easily stood and fought through the lot of them, maybe stealing one of the soldier's swords… but as it was with the pirates, he had no idea where to go… and these more adept warriors would not fall so easily to the likes of one man, maybe two if Malain could help. All he knew for sure right now though, was that this day sucked.

_Author's Note: Crappy day for him, eh? I figured I'd be nice and give you a relatively quick update while I still can.  
_


	3. Turbulent Seas

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter III – Turbulent Seas**

Strago Magus watched anxiously as the pigeon neared his position, and he giddily relieved the bird of the returned message, waddling over to his friend who was filling up several buckets of water from the nearby stream.

"We have a reply!" the old man croaked.

"Excellent!" Locke Cole exclaimed, shifting his eyes nervously to make sure the nearby guards were not watching them.

Both men, dressed in the very same ripped clothes since The Flood, gathered around the message to see the barely legible numbers _6:10:50_ written down. Locke's heart gave a joyous leap in his chest.

"Yes! Edgar is in Zozo!" he blurted.

"Hey! Shut up over there, Hobbes! You're already in enough trouble!" one of the Legion sentries shouted from beside the military station in occupied Mobliz.

Locke hastily stowed the message away in his dirty jacket's pocket. This note, along with several others that he had received from anonymous sources, were his dearest treasures at the moment, and he kept them on him at all times. Unfortunately, he was well aware that the guards were becoming suspicious of his activity, and now they were trying to keep him busy working in the reconstruction of the village, which was ruined further than its previously dilapidated state from Thomas Geeda's apocalyptic antics.

"So, what exactly is your big plan anyway? You think that somehow by escaping to Zozo we'll be in the clear? I mean, sure we could easily nab one of those speedboats because these guards are undeniably incompetent… but how far could we get? And even with the three of us, this world is basically in Thomas' sinister hands," said Strago.

"Edgar is a genius, and I'm sure he will be able to help us brainstorm a way of finding the others… besides, I _never_ get caught!" Locke boasted, eyeing one of the buckets protectively.

"Too bad Setzer probably isn't with him. We might be able to fashion a tiny airship that way," the old man mused somewhat facetiously.

"Well, I hope the others are still alright… I mean, as far as we know… it's you, Edgar, and myself for now anyway, and we'll have to make due with that. I'm fairly certain these other notes are from various people around the world wanting to make a difference with us. Maybe we can include some of them in on our action."

"Yo! Did you hear about what happened in the capital?!" called a guard as he approached his fellow sentries, catching Locke and Strago's attention.

"Considering that you're the messenger… no, we didn't yet," one said sarcastically.

"Something happened?" said another.

"Yeah! I just got this message from Lanceus! He says someone tried to assassinate Lord Geeda!"

"WHAT?!"

"Hey! Keep it down, you idiot!" another guard whispered.

"Sorry…"

"Who was it?" asked one quietly.

"Three intruders broke into Lord Geeda's study and attacked him… one was an older swordsman, another was some meathead punk, and there was a blonde woman," replied the messenger guard softly.

Locke and Strago looked at each other with the same stunned expression.

"Oh… and we've been ordered to confiscate anything from _him_," explained the guard, pointing an accusing finger to Locke.

"Damn. Looks like we'll have to wing it," Locke said in a whisper.

_**Minutes Later**_

Locke and Strago honestly had no idea how they had achieved it, but somehow they were now sailing away from Mobliz at high speeds while the Legion sentries stumbled around stupidly trying to gather themselves enough to pursue. The 'treasure hunter' laughed to himself as the two skimmed across the ocean with the motor rumbling loudly at full throttle.

"Locke, you idiot! You could've gotten us both killed!" Strago hollered over the splashing water and rushing wind.

Locke grinned to himself at his rash, yet successful plan: the moment the guards approached him, he had swung one of the filled buckets right at them, ordering Strago to run for the nearest boat. As the old man sprinted off as fast as his elderly feet could carry him, Locke had quickly fished out the dagger he was hiding in one of the buckets, kicking sand and dirt at the guards before he broke off into a run as well. It required absolutely no planning, as he had hoped to be more sneaky about their escape… but something always drove him to do crazy things at the last minute. Perhaps it was stupidity, or possibly misunderstood brilliance.

It took a moment for the rest of the Legion to realize what was happening, and before he knew it, Locke was ducking and dodging around blasts of magic every which way as he made a mad dash after his old friend. Granted, it was a stupid, unorthodox plan, but it brought him immense satisfaction after seeing it work so well. His smile faded, however, when their captors had gathered their bearings and were now in full pursuit with four speedboats on their tail.

"What now?!" Strago cried, watching behind them while Locke helmed the boat.

Suddenly, a huge wave came surging towards them and knocked them off course for a second. Out of the water leapt the esper Bismarck, no longer blinded by black ink on its face. Locke swerved sharply to avoid the whale's tail as it rose from the sea, taking a quick glance behind to see the pursuit still in action.

"Damn, maybe I should've thought through this one!" Locke growled with a hint of regret.

"That would've been a nice thought to have a few minutes ago!" Strago barked, glaring at the approaching soldiers.

Both of them nearly jumped out of their shoes when a giant, red laser blast suddenly came buzzing by, sizzling as it struck the water. They snapped their heads to the left side of the boat to see an approaching warship, firing laser shots directly at them.

"WE ARE SCREWED!" Locke cried, urging the ship to go faster although it was at top speed and already burning up the lot of their fuel.

By now, his impulsive action in Mobliz was definitely something for Locke to consider an egregious error, what with a giant whale, four fast boats, and an armored warship hunting them down. However, as dire as the situation might have been, Locke refused to hand himself over to Thomas Geeda's hands so easily. 'Lord' Geeda had won once, and that was all he would allow. He steered the boat right under Bismarck just as it jumped from the ocean, narrowly avoiding its body when it came down. Lasers began to skim the sides of the boat, throwing them even more off course as the four speedboats behind closed in.

"Duck!" called Strago, dropping to the deck.

Locke did so just in time as a stream of small lasers from the chasing boats came flying over his head. He had only a second to look up and notice one of Bismarck's fins rising from the water directly ahead. He turned abruptly, almost throwing Strago over the edge and quickly attempted to regain control of the boat. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning came diagonally from the sky and fried the right side of their escape vessel.

"Strago, can't you counter with something?!"

"I haven't been able to use magic in a month! What makes you think- another one!"

Locke's spirit came crashing down when Strago pointed out yet another armed ship approaching from the north, their right. He hardly noticed when a small laser from behind singed his shoulder, until it started to burn of course. He jerked his arm back from the pain, causing the boat to weave uncontrollably in that moment, threatening to toss them off.

"Sir! That's not one of ours!" he heard a soldier's voice say from behind… _what?!_

Bismarck's large head erupted from the sea right in front of them, and both heroes were launched through the air as the boat shattered to pieces upon impact with the whale's muscled flesh. They landed headfirst into the water and flailed about frantically in an attempt to stay afloat, Locke losing hold of his dagger in the process. One of the Mobliz boats stopped just above them, and Locke felt a strong hand pull him up by the neck.

"Should we kill him now, or wait for-"

The man had no time to finish his sentence before being obliterated by an artillery shell that destroyed the boat. Locke dropped back into the water as an intense wave of heat threw him away from the explosion. In his submersion, he could hear the muffled sound of another shot being fired above, and a bright blast occurred on one of the Legion ship's turrets. Above the water, opposing fire launched back and forth, rebounding off the ships' thick armor as soldiers on either side prepared for battle.

"It's an imperial vessel, sir!" said one of the Legion archers.

"Then stop aiming for the sides and shoot their deck!" shouted another.

"Hey! I'm giving the orders around here!" growled a lieutenant.

As they shuffled hastily across the deck, Clyde and Malain watched the brewing chaos with great interest, Clyde having to constantly brush his long hair back with his hand, much to his annoyance.

"I think we should help our imperial friends out," Clyde whispered.

"How can we help out?" asked Malain.

"Just follow my lead!" exclaimed Clyde as he grabbed a nearby board and bashed a passing mage in the face.

Both of them were immediately overcome by the soldiers. Clyde swung his arms violently, hitting anything he could with the board before losing track of Malain as the soldiers clustered together and brandished their weapons. Metal blades chopped his wooden weapon to pieces, and he quickly launched his fists out to disable his attackers. His swings were frantic and relentless, his knuckles throbbing from the pain as he knocked around the armored men with bare hands. Then, a line of soldiers was hurled from the group by an incredible force, and Clyde watched in shock as Malain began to fight back.

Malain's feet moved like lightning as his legs flexed out rapidly, performing many flashy kicks that sent their opponents flying. Clyde couldn't help but let out a stuttered laugh as Malain went to work on these men, his uncovered feet dealing so much damage in this tight space. The two friends gathered close to each other as they forced the Legion henchmen away while the ship was rocked by countless explosions from the sea battle.

"Malain! Where did you learn to fight like that?!" Clyde called as he uppercut a mage and elbowed a soldier behind him.

"I was taught by a mon named Duncan!" Malain replied, sending a female soldier straight to the deck with a speedy roundhouse.

In the water, Locke and Strago had attached themselves to each other as they swam to the imperial ship, looking back nervously as the remaining speed boats circled close to them.

"Don't let them get to the Empire's ship!" shouted an angry mage.

"Screw you, buddy!" Locke called back with a scowl.

The three boats were annihilated by imperial cannon fire.

"Yeah! Score for the Empire!" Locke cheered.

"I'll bet that's the first time you've uttered those words!" commented Strago.

"Heh, good point."

Clyde and Malain's resistance on the Legion ship was cut short when both heroes hit the deck from a blast of Fira. Before they could stand to fight back, they were once again swarmed by the Legion and apprehended hastily. The two did their best to escape, but they had been seized by their arms and legs and suspended in the air by four men each.

"What a blatant example of violent disobedience!" said a laser-wielding man.

The ship quaked severely when an explosive shell impacted the front of the deck, blowing a massive hole in the top of the vessel. Clyde took this momentary distraction to his advantage and twisted his way free of the men, pulling them down to the ground with him. He jumped to his feet and tackled Malain's captors, grabbing hold of his friend by the arm.

"We have to jump!" he shouted.

"Den jump we shall!" Malain replied courageously, dashing towards the edge of the deck in full sprint alongside Clyde.

They were airborne just as a stream of lightning bolts descended from the sky, the Legion mages furiously yelling out as many spells as they could. Clyde crashed into the water with his legs flourishing, trying to kick away from the Legion ship as speedily as he could with Malain already yards ahead.

"Holy shit! CLYDE!" Locke called from beside the imperial ship as the Empire began to lower cables for them to board, spotting his friend from a distance.

"What the- Clyde?!" exclaimed Strago while he was hoisted upwards.

Clyde was about to express his surprise and excitement at seeing his friends again, but Bismark abruptly poked its wide snout up from the water, attempting to close its mouth shut on the swimming man. Explosions still filled the air around them as the Legion warship was continually hammered by artillery.

"Clyde! Use your arms!" Malain hollered.

Clyde took heed and began rowing his arms forward as the whale followed. The esper was immediately halted by a direct cannon shot from the Empire, and Clyde arrived safely in their hands while the Legion remained utterly confused and defeated in the battle, turning their ship around swiftly to flee with heavy damages. The Empire ceased fire when they realized that their opponent was departing.

"Oh man! It's good to see you!" said Locke when the cables pulled Clyde on board, running up to his comrade.

"Likewise, old friend… and you Strago," he replied with a grin, shaking the water from his hair as the resounding booms began to dwindle with the departure of the Thomas' naval assault.

"Who's this guy?" Strago wondered, scrutinizing the kneeling Malain.

"Locke, Strago… this is my friend Malain, a fellow slave to the pirates that captured us," Clyde explained as he collapsed on board.

"Pleasure to be meetin' you," said Malain with a weak wave.

"Now hold on there a minute! Let's not have the pleasantries quite yet! Where you do fellas come from?" growled one of the imperial officers as the four of them were roused to their feet by the soldiers.

"Locke? Is that you?!" said an elderly voice.

Locke whirled around to see a familiar face.

"Jarvis! What are you doing here?!" Locke cried, dashing up to his old Returner ally from Narshe, an older man with thinning, graying hair and a slim form.

"You wait just a minute!" the officer began

They ignored him.

"After you guys whacked Kefka, I figure it was time we got some of the old Returner influence into this 'new empire', and here I am… fighting against another crazy man who wants to rule the world with terrorism!" Jarvis explained, fully decked out in military armor, a subtle irony against his previous role as an anti-empire operative.

The other three knew nothing of this man, as they had never seen him before. But, it was apparent that he was a suitable ally and would be helpful in connecting them back with the Empire after missing out on the world for so long.

"Are they with you, Locke?" Jarvis asked.

"Yeah. Guys, this is Jarvis, an old comrade of mine in the Returners," Locke replied.

They were about to make their own introductions, but Jarvis quickly turned away to address the officer, who had begun to curse under his breath from being so blatantly forgotten.

"Sir, these four are allies and could prove useful to our cause. I ask that you allow their safe transport to New Vector, where I'm sure Lord Valkin would like to speak with them," said Jarvis to the confused man.

"Ah… very well. Come with me… you will most certainly need to acquire some dry clothes," the officer said.

The four of them made a point to follow, avoiding the commotion of the soldiers moving across the ship as things began to wind down.

"Captain! Emperor's on the wire! Wants to know the situation!"

"We've got small leakage in the port side of the hull!"

"Someone come give me a hand with these artillery shells!"

"Move those cannonballs over there!"

"Why can't we just use big lasers like the enemy?"

"Don't mind all of the activity. Everything will be squared away soon," the officer commented as he guided them below deck.

Not much later, the four had dressed themselves in a matching set of brown trousers, long-sleeved tan tunics, and black jackets. It wasn't their preferred form of attire, but there was hardly room to complain after what they had been lucky to escape just then.

"So, captured by pirates eh?" said Locke as they emerged onto the outside deck.

"Yeah, it was hell. I was fortunate to make friends with Malain quickly, because I'm sure the other slaves and the pirates alike wanted to kill me," Clyde explained.

"Yes, dey were very bitter men. But now we are safe with de Empire, although I would like to find some betta clothin'," said Malain, who was a little unsatisfied that his current dress was rather small to his big and tall form.

"So, I guess it's a little more than you, Edgar, and myself, Locke. We've got more allies than we think!" Strago said joyously.

"Yeah, and that's awesome!" Locke cheered.

"Have you seen Edgar?" asked Clyde.

"I've had message contact with him only recently. He's in Zozo right now."

"We should go after him!"

"Yo Locke!" called Jarvis, approaching their group quickly.

"So, Lord Valkin says that we're basically at you guys' mercy for now. Do you want to go back to New Vector, or do you have another location in mind?" he asked.

"Ah… Malain, is there-" Clyde began.

"Please, my friend… I would not dream of leaving your company now. Dis should be de adventure I always sought!" Malain replied proudly.

"Zozo," said Locke, Strago, and Clyde simultaneously.

Jarvis nodded and left their company quickly to set their course.

"Malain, I'm going to warn you about what you could be getting yourself in to. I would feel completely responsible if something were to happen…"

"Don't worry 'bout me mon! I've been trained well."

"So, you can fight, yes?" Locke asked skeptically.

"Dat I can. I was trained by a mon named Duncan," he answered.

"Woah… small world! That's Sabin's teacher!" Locke exclaimed.

"Clyde has mentioned dis Sabin, I believe. I hope I can meet him."

"Well, if our luck is as good as the past… I'm sure you will," said Strago with a broad smile.

"You know… this is the start to a new beginning for us, I'm thinking. We've gone through all of this before, so I'm sure it'll be a breeze this time!" Locke said cheerfully, gathering his arms around Clyde and Strago's shoulders with his eyes set on the bright, blue horizon ahead of the ship.

"Yeah. _Lord_ Geeda won't know what hit him now," Clyde declared.

_Author's Note: The New Empire is a term that will be interchangeable with Empire, also known as the 'good side'. The Legion will always refer to Thomas Geeda's "empire" and will rarely be referred to as an 'empire' in itself unless someone says something like "Thomas Geeda's empire." Sorry for any confusion._


	4. Resistance

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter IV – Resistance**

Sabin wearily dropped another pile of coal into the half-filled bucket next to him. He had been working since dawn, and was covered in black powder with tired and immensely sore muscles. To his left, Siegfried moved just as sluggishly, having failed to understand how moving piles of rock from one place to another could wear such fit men down so easily.

"Where did Daryl go?" Sabin wheezed, coughing as black coal dust kicked up around them from an outside breeze.

"She is seeking Cyan, for she is quite certain that he is present in the mines," the swordsman replied.

"Guys!" Daryl called from afar, creeping down the path with a pair of loaded buckets.

The two of them looked her way to see not just the slightly familiar, clean-shaven face of Cyan, but also that of Relm. Both of them looked filthy with unkempt hair and ripped clothes caked with dirt and other nastiness.

"Oh my gosh! I didn't believe it when Cyan told me Daryl was here… and you guys are too!" Relm cried, running forward and embracing them both in a quick hug.

"Cyan, it's good to see you again man," said Sabin.

"Likewise, Sabin. And you Siegfried, are you well?" Cyan asked.

"Not particularly, but we shall overcome."

"That's why I've gathered us together!" Daryl called out, catching the unwanted attention of the other slaves, who had noticed that the five heroes were doing no work now.

"Keep it down! Let's not look so conspicuous!" Sabin said in a whisper, returning to his previous business of filling the buckets surrounding him.

"Hold on a minute," said Daryl as she hauled her own buckets around the corner and returned without them.

They quickly did everything they could to look busy, and when the watchful eyes of the other workers and some of the nearby drivers had glanced away, Daryl immediately launched into explanation.

"Ok, so there are lots of ways out of here," she began.

"Wait a second… there's no way we're just going to make a run for it," said Sabin.

"Relax. It's a little more complicated than that," she assured him.

"I really wish we could get our hands on some of those weapons," said Relm as she eyed a nearby soldier's sword.

"Don't worry Relm… we'll get there."

"Now, make sure you've thought this one through," Sabin added.

"Sir Sabin, please refrain from your interruptions. I am interested in her words," Siegfried scolded.

"Anyway! I think we need to start a rebellion," Daryl said stoutly.

"I am not quite sure that this is a sound plan…" Cyan commented.

"It's kind of generic, you know? No specifics really…" Sabin noted.

"Oh come on guys! It can't be that hard to rile up some of these slaves! I mean, if we could appeal to them, or maybe just start a fight… we could get most of the guards distracted, steal some weapons and force our way out!"

"You're forgetting that they also have _magic_ on their side, and you've been a little hazy on yours."

"Well, if we could-"

"Oh, I do hope you are having an interesting enough conversation to keep you from working like the rest," said the calm voice of Zirgen Thade as he appeared from the cave opening leading to the cliff outside.

They froze immediately and looked upon him with very obvious apprehension. He gave them a friendly smile and stepped further into the cave with his hands locked together as he examined them closely. Upon catching sight of Cyan, he made a small double take to the man, as if suddenly recognizing him by some means.

"So sorry, Sir… it will not happen again!" Daryl said quickly.

He seemed infinitely perplexed by Cyan, beginning to study him closely. Then, he seemed to notice Relm, his eyes narrowing.

"I'll be sure to hold you to your word. I would hate for some unfortunate accident to come upon those who failed to meet the workplace requirements at all times… especially if they were discussing a matter unrelated to the task at hand," he replied ominously, giving them a sinister grin before walking through their congregation and inspecting the remainder of that passageway.

"A rather close brush," said Cyan quietly.

"We'll talk later," Daryl whispered as she picked up two more buckets and proceeded to her duties.

"You know… I swear he was looking at me kinda weird," said Relm.

"There's just something all around _weird_ about that guy. He really gives me the creeps," said Sabin, glaring at Thade from behind as he disappeared around the bend.

"Well, this is hardly the opportune time to discuss our sentiments about this mysterious man. Thou should work swiftly, lest he return to scold us once again," said Siegfried, diligently continuing his labor.

"I shall certainly proceed to fulfill my present task, sire," Sabin mocked.

"Man, I've missed you guys so much…" Daryl said quietly as she returned.

"Me too! I think we have a bit of hope now actually!" said Relm as she scooped up a pile of coal rocks.

"I really hope so… sometimes I feel like I've gotten us in too deep. I don't even know if what I have planned would work…"

"Miss Daryl, never doubt yourself in such a dire situation. Any effort is better than none at all, and there is always our powerful teamwork that will pull us through anything we face. Narshe will not detain us forever," said Cyan, grabbing a nearby pickaxe quickly as a Legion soldier ambled by with watchful eyes, stopping just behind their group.

"Maybe you five should do more work and less talk. Master Thade warned us that you might be rather problematic," the soldier growled as he continued on.

"Hmm… like I said, we'll talk later," Daryl whispered quickly.

_**Elsewhere**_

"We are approaching Zozo from the west, sir. We'll be around the mountains in about ten minutes," said the imperial navigator.

Clyde was rather shocked by the appearance of a mountain range jutting straight out of the water, sitting there idly. Sure, he had seen most of the flooded world, but something like this still seemed so unreal to him, especially because the ship was technically at a much higher altitude than would have been in the undisturbed World of Ruin.

"Oh man… don't worry Edgar, we're coming for you buddy," Locke said, looking intently towards the mountains.

"I remember my first encounter with Palidor there…" Clyde mused.

"Yes, the day Relm and I arrived at Owzer's house," said Strago.

"Heh, I remember coming here after Terra lost control of her esper form… that was a pretty scary moment," Locke added.

"Terra, de esper woman? Clyde has told me of her," said Malain.

"Haha, been feeling sentimental lately?" Locke teased.

"Come off it… it's not like-"

"Bah, it's fairly obvious Clyde… you two are quite interested in each other," said Strago with a grin.

"Yeah, I wonder what _Celes_ is up to now," Clyde said with a glance to Locke.

"You know, I'll bet they're out kicking some Legion of the People ass together. Let's face it man, we have a thing for strong women… maybe too strong sometimes," Locke replied.

"And I'm sure little Relm is getting her fair share of action… probably cursing at all of the soldiers," Strago chuckled.

"You all seem like you have amazing friends," Malain commented with a big smile.

"Oh, you've no idea. Once we meet them all, I'm sure you'll love them."

"I'll be you and Sabin would get along well," said Clyde.

"Hey Locke!" Jarvis called.

"Yes, O humble militarist?" Locke said very dramatically.

"Cut the crap. New Vector just warned us that some espers are being spotted. The big whale is bad enough, and now we're getting reports about that purple octopus, the green serpent, and some fliers too."

"Bismarck, Ultros… probably Tritoch and Bahamut…"

"I don't remember a green serpent," said Strago.

"Mmm, Leviathan," Malain added.

The other four looked at him in surprise.

"Leviathan?" Clyde said quizzically.

"Yes. Master of the Seas. I know nothin' 'bout dese espers, but Leviathan is a monstrous serpent dat controls de water."

"Sounds like an esper to me… and if Thomas is starting to send them out now, that most certainly means trouble," said Locke, shifting his eyes nervously towards the sea.

"You guys need weapons?" Jarvis asked.

"Always so thoughtful. We'd love some!"

As they began to make way farther around the mountains, it soon began to rain.

_**Meanwhile**_

"You are telling me that my men, those capable of eliminating the Gorrian Pirates, were fought away by a technologically inferior imperial vessel?!" Thomas screamed, his three bodyguards standing silently in the room as the Legion messenger stood frozen with fear.

"Aah… y-yes sir. That seems to b-b-be correct!"

"And with the aid of Bismark?! GET OUT!" he shouted.

The messenger obliged immediately and fled the room, not bothering to close the door behind him. Galleus quickly made sure to do so.

"Sir, I sincerely doubt this 'Hobbes' character from Mobliz could be so disruptive to-" Lanceus began.

"Doubt it, do you?! Do you also doubt that there are some _very_ skilled individuals who have opposed and defeated my forces from the start?! Have you forgotten that THREE of those individuals were in THIS room to KILL ME?! Not to mention that the 'trained' assassin still lives, and he is certainly the most skilled of them all!" Thomas continued to rant.

"Perhaps you would like us to hunt them down?" Bediveus inquired.

"No! Not yet, at least… although, there will be a time where you three will have to fight them with everything you have. That is, if my pets cannot kill them promptly enough."

"Pardon my potential insolence, sire… but do you not feel as if you are being slightly repetitious?" suggested Lanceus.

"Repetition is what will crush them in the end! They have hardly faced the most powerful espers, and as I steadily weaken them against the lesser beasts, they will fall swiftly to my top servants! I already have three of them locked away in Narshe, and I will be sending an old friend of theirs to visit soon… it will be quite _shocking_."

"And those with the empire?" said Galleus.

"Well, I have already taken the liberty of giving attention to their presence. Let us hope they do not become too comfortable with the sea," Tom replied with a sinister cackle.

_**Later**_

Edgar and Interceptor waited patiently inside the building, watching the constantly pouring rain outside. He really had no idea when to expect his friend… or if Locke would even be able to show up, but something about this day gave the king a good feeling.

"I'm sure he'll come around eventually," he told himself.

He checked inside his pockets, being sure that he had all of his remaining tools such as his Chainsaw and the powerful Air Anchor, which started off as compact devices. Then he heard something very faint, but mildly familiar.

"..ar!"

"..GAR!"

"-ello?!"

"Edgar!"

His insides twisted and turned as the voices neared him, and he could not help but dash out into the rain. And approaching from a large warship by the water's edge were three very recognizable faces followed by an unfamiliar brown-skinned man. When the friends had caught sight of each other, they broke off into an excited run towards each other, making quick and completely manly embraces…

"Oh man, I knew we'd find you!" Locke called over the rain.

"It's great to see all of you! Now let's get out of this rain! Hey… dog! Come on!" Edgar shouted behind him.

Interceptor carefully poked his head outside, and his ears suddenly perked up upon catching sight of Clyde.

"Interceptor! You're alright!" his master cried.

The great Doberman bounded towards him with his tail wagging and tongue lolling. The two old friends shared a special reunion, and both were very happy to see each other. Clyde was infinitely relieved to see his dog alive and well. When all was set, they made a quick departure of the stormy city of Zozo, hoping to leave it behind for good. As the heroes boarded once again, Clyde paused Edgar.

"Edgar, I'd like you to meet my friend Malain. He's a very worthy fighter and will be coming with us on our quest to find the others," he said.

"Very nice to be meetin' you mon," Malain said as he extended his hand.

"Likewise, sir," said Edgar as he returned the gesture and they shook.

"This is amazing… I really could not have imagined expecting you guys to arrive so soon, and I had no idea that you two would be with Locke," Edgar continued happily.

"As I see it, our reunion is just starting to slowly piece itself back together. We're going to head to New Vector to kind of rest up, and then we will definitely get out there and try to find the rest of our friends," said Locke.

"Let's roll then!"

"Yo Edgar! Want in on some of this?" called Jarvis from behind.

Edgar turned around to see a shiny, white gold spear being tossed his direction. He caught it deftly and gave a friendly wave to the man, being equally familiar with his old Returner ally. The five companions and Interceptor then made way across the deck to make themselves more comfortable on the ship, as it would be a lengthy journey back to New Vector.

"So… Malain. What is it you do exactly?" Edgar asked, taking a seat on one of the many outside bench platforms for the soldiers to rest on.

"I am trained in a special style of kick fighting," he replied.

"Yeah, Malain was apparently taught by that Duncan guy," said Locke.

"Aah… you wouldn't happen to know my brother Sabin Figaro?"

"No, I have not met this fellow. But, your friend Clyde has told me many tings about all of you."

"Heh, he's been saying nice things right?" Edgar joked.

"You accuse me of bad mouthing _you_ Edgar? I would never dream of it!" Clyde answered in jest, patting his dog on the head as he sat by his master.

"Woah… did you just make a joke Clyde?!" Locke said in mock astonishment.

"We may very well break the mercenary out of his shell!" Strago exclaimed.

"I like you fellows. Dis will be a fun adventure," Malain chuckled.

"Psh, wait till we find the rest of our friends… those guys are a riot in a minute," said Edgar.

"But first, I think we all need a bit of a shave and a haircut," said Clyde, feeling the unkempt dark hair across his chin.

"Two bits?" said Locke.

_**Elsewhere… again.**_

"So, ah… when do we get to eat?" said Sabin, rubbing his muscular stomach after depositing the last load of their section.

One of the nearby overseers, a hideously brawny fellow, trudged over to him with a grim face. The others froze when the guard gave them a quick glare before turning his attention back to Sabin, who had taken a step back from the large man. And suddenly, the guard whacked him over the head with a heavy baton, bringing the hardened fighter to his knees.

"You will eat when we say you eat, you got that… you maggot?!" the overseer shouted, kicking some dirt at the pained Sabin before walking away quietly.

Sabin's friends immediately rushed to his aid, and he curled up on the ground with a massive headache. The urge to throw a punch back at the guy was difficult to suppress, and he swore mentally to have revenge.

"Sabin, are you alright?!" Daryl asked worriedly.

"Yeah… just fine," he mumbled, clutching the point of impact.

"They are quite belligerent here," said Siegfried.

"Thou must rest for a moment," Cyan added.

"That sounds like a good idea… I wish I could just eat though," Sabin replied, still wincing at the sting on his head.

"Yeah… what an asshole!" Relm said loudly.

The guard returned in a flash with a face full of fury.

"What was that?!" he roared.

"I said-"

"Relm! Stop it! Our fight isn't here!" Daryl pleaded.

"This little brat will certainly be fighting for something! Get over here!" the guard continued, lunging for the little girl and grabbing her roughly by the neck.

"You get your hands off her!" Sabin yelled, quickly rising from his position and throwing his balled fist into the man's face.

The other slaves gasped as the sentry dropped Relm and staggered back into the wall, collapsing onto the ground in a stupor. Sabin ignored the pain and stared at his own fist in astonishment… _what did he just do?!_ Two armed soldiers then came running around the corner, seeing all that they needed to see before calling out for help and drawing their swords.

"Looks like the fight is here now!" Relm said with a grin.

The two soldiers charged forward with their blades up high, and both were met head on by Sabin's outstretched arms, the clothesline knocking them out cold. Without hesitation, Cyan and Siegfried quickly stole their weapons for their own, prepared to bring the fight back to the Legion. The other workers were sure to distance themselves from the group, terrified about the potential consequences of this insanity.

"I suppose we shall depart early?" Cyan chuckled, heading towards the outside of the cave with the others following.

"Yeah! Let's do this!" Relm cheered.

"Here Daryl, take this guy's baton," said Sabin, quickly handing her his assailant's baton as they moved out of the passage with the growing din of approaching troops.

The team stepped boldly out into the chill of Narshe, realizing that it was oddly warm in the cave and unbearably freezing outside. However, even in their dirty, loose rags for clothing, the moment was crucial, and they hastily proceeded along the mountain ledge. They took care not to slip on any ice, however.

"Man, this is so intense!" said Sabin.

An explosion erupted behind them as a mage came rushing out from the cave, casting a devastated Figa spell that nearly threw them over the edge of the mountain and into the black abyss below. Sabin quickly covered Relm and Daryl as a shower of rock cascaded over them, and he urged them to move forward as more Legion warriors arrived on the scene.

"We shall head towards the east!" Cyan called over the roar of another Figa blast that they all dodged just in time.

The five heroes continued down the mountain path, soon passing just across the north edge of the city itself, with a small glimpse of the busy streets covered with Thomas Geeda's supporters. Behind them, their hunters were having a fair amount of difficulty in continuing the chase, having unwittingly blocked the path with mountain rubble.

"Hah! Way to go, dumb asses!" Relm shouted, sticking her tongue out at the confused Legion.

Cyan and Siegfried both led the front, following an upward slope through a frozen and windy mountain path that seemed as if it would freeze them right on the spot. They thought little of the cold and ran as fast as possible through the heavy snow, refusing to stop until well outside the boundaries of Narshe itself.

"Wait a minute guys, I gotta catch my breath!" Relm panted, stopping by a nearby boulder.

The two swordsmen quickly slowed and stopped just before another path further down the mountains.

"I think we have covered some considerable ground. Rest is a good idea," said Cyan.

"I don't believe it… we actually escaped! It was so easy!" Daryl cried happily, looking up to the gray skies with determination.

"You know… that was really easy. That Thade guy made a pretty big deal about not being able to escape… and yet we were so conveniently located next to a path that led straight away from the mines," Sabin said, thinking aloud.

"You aren't implying that it was too easy…" Daryl wondered.

"Well, no… I don't think. I'm not really sure what I'm thinking right now."

Sabin then stretched his arms up high, letting out a small yawn.

"But we are out. That's the first step," he added.

"'Tis rather chilly here," Siegfried noted, looking around at the walls of rock on either side of their group, kicking away a small pile of snow.

Suddenly, the wind stopped… and everything fell silent.

"Woah… talk about creepy," said Relm, glancing about nervously.

"Something isn't right," said Daryl, gripping the baton in her hands tightly.

Siegfried and Cyan made their bodies rigid, scanning the area intently for any visible disturbances. But, in the emptiness of this region they saw nothing out of the ordinary snow, rock, and overcast skies.

"We have to get out of here. Let's go," Sabin uttered quickly.

"Leaving so quickly? The master was hoping to have some fun before you departed the scene!" called a booming voice.

They all looked up at the cliff to their right, seeing the large form of an elderly man with an unnaturally long, white beard and curled mustache, dressed in dark green robes with a great staff in his slender, wrinkled hands. His eyes flashed yellow as he gazed down upon them, forming a threatening smirk.

"Is that… Ramuh?" Sabin gasped.

"Yes, boy… it is I, master of the storm! We were waiting for you to make your first attempt, and you have come to me as expected. Now you will fall at my mercy!" Ramuh shouted, his deep voice echoing across the path as he leapt from the edge.


	5. Endless Fighting

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter V – Endless Fighting**

Lightning shot down from the sky, exploding snow in every direction as Ramuh landed in the pass. He swung his electrified staff straight for Siegfried, who unwittingly deflected with his sword and received a painful and crippling shock through the metal. The others immediately cleared out when a powerful gust of wind roared through the area, kicking up the snow like a great blizzard.

"Do not flee, you insolent worms!" Ramuh taunted.

From a distance, Relm lobbed a heavy stone at the esper that struck him square on the back. Ramuh whirled around in anger and glared at the girl menacingly, the tip of his staff glowing with electricity. She yelped in fright and dove behind a nearby boulder, a great lightning bolt firing from the staff and wasting the ground she once stood upon. This was the perfect distraction of his attention as Sabin charged forward and dealt a powerful jab to the esper's shoulder, causing him to stumble forward in the snow, bewildered for a moment.

"Bring it on, old man!" Sabin hollered.

Ramuh swept his arm across in horizontal motion, and a series of visible wind blades not unlike Sabin's Blitz move launched from his staff, pummeling the fighter into the snow. The thunder god quickly recovered from the attack and directed lightning to the cliff above, loosening a giant mass of jagged rock that fell straight for Sabin. The hero was saved at the last minute by Cyan's agility, and the piece of mountain crashed into the ground and shattered into many pieces across the snowy pass.

"The master said you would be a challenge! Your evasiveness will not outmatch my power, however!" Ramuh shouted, setting off several random lightning bolts in every direction, nearly frying Daryl as she somersaulted across the ground.

Suddenly, Ramuh cried out and fell to his knees as the blade of Siegfried sliced across his legs from behind, and he narrowly escaped a lethal jab with a quick burst of electric energy from his body that sent the mercenary flying back, suffering yet another painful shock. Daryl sought to continue the assault, but the esper recovered swiftly once again and threw her down with a short, static shock from his fingertips.

"My dear friends… you have yet to learn that I am untouchable!"

Cyan begged to differ when he made his move, attempting the use of his Dispatch Sword Technique. Unfortunately, the elderly villain foresaw this and quickly levitated upward, evading the blade skillfully and blasting Cyan in the back with his magic staff. He remained in the air and soared around the area, laughing as the heroes ran around like helpless chickens to avoid his attacks.

"Jeez, it is COLD!" Sabin growled as he stumbled across the snow.

"We must find a way out!" Cyan said, looking towards the direction they had previously been heading.

"You will not depart so easily!" Ramuh warned.

The esper dove towards the ground straight for Sabin, who had his back turned momentarily. He turned to see the grinning face of Ramuh staring right at him before he was driven into the ground with a forceful push. Acting on impulse, he immediately shot his fists forward, both knuckles impacting Ramuh perfectly on the shoulders and hurling him across the mountain pass with surprising power. Sabin jumped to his feet victoriously, rubbing his now sore chest. And, as Ramuh landed in the snow, Daryl dashed forward and lobbed the mine guard's baton at the lightning staff, knocking it from the old man's wrinkled and bony hands. She was caught off guard, however, when Ramuh countered with a Thunder spell that felled her to the ground.

"Ramuh, do you not recall that you were our greatest ally against the likes of Kefka who imprisoned your people?!" Cyan shouted.

"Silence fool! There is no such history between us!"

"Hey, gramps!" Relm scowled, throwing another large rock at the man and hitting him on the crown of his head.

Ramuh roared in fury and prepared to fry the girl with a vicious lightning spell, but was halted in the process when, to everyone's surprise, Sabin shot him down with his Aura Bolt. After falling face first in the snow, Ramuh was assailed by Cyan and Siegfried, who were quick to slash and hack at him as frequently as possible. This proved a brash move when both men were tossed into the air by the ground exploding beneath them from Ramuh channeling intense magic through the earth.

"I am invulnerable to your puny efforts!" he boasted.

Cyan, who still had a good hold on his weapon, landed aptly on his feet, slipping slightly in the snow before he ran forward for another attack. Ramuh glared at him and called forth Thunga, but it was suddenly absorbed by Daryl, who had caught Siegfried's sword and utilized Celes' Runic skill. Cyan gave her a grateful nod, and Ramuh looked about ready to explode with rage. The esper fired off more bolts of lighting as the fierce wind grew even fiercer, and Cyan lunged at Ramuh with his Quadra Slice technique. The violent attack stupefied Ramuh for a moment before he regained enough composure to pound Cyan with a wind-blown heap of snow.

"How invulnerable are you _now_?!" Sabin gloated, aiming a hard punch at his opponent.

Sabin was taken completely by surprise when Ramuh aptly caught his fist and viciously twisted his arm down, taking the Figaro man off his feet and dropping him roughly on the freezing cold ground, snow sifting its way inside his loose tunic. Daryl approached from behind and attempted to quite literally stab him in the back, but Ramuh's apparently enhanced senses served to allow his swift, preventive strike that easily dispatched her.

"I may be old, but with my age comes my incredible powers!" the esper roared.

Cyan, having recollected himself, made a final desperate attempt to finish him off, leaping forward with his deadly Cleave Technique that was very easily deflected by Ramuh's heavy magic concentration. Suddenly, Daryl rose from her defeated position and focused her powers on Cyan's last move. Her body almost involuntarily jumped forward, mimicking exactly as Cyan just had, cutting her sword through the ferocious man and leaping high in the air to mark the move's completion. The old man's withered face was wide with surprise before he slowly dropped to the ground absolutely motionless, the powerful and bone-chilling wind ceasing at that moment.

"Wow! That was freaking cool!" Relm exclaimed.

"A well placed hit, Miss," said Siegfried as he recovered from his previous stupor.

"Alright, we can't stay here much longer… we have to keep a move on, guys," Daryl explained.

"She's right. Let's get the hell outta here," Sabin agreed.

"Why… leaving so soon?"

They all spun around to see only a glimpse of Zirgen Thade's grinning face before suddenly collapsing into unconsciousness.

_**Meanwhile**_

"We're getting fairly close to New Vector. It's still maybe an hour or two away though," said Jarvis.

"Well, I'm sure we can stand to wait a little longer," said Locke, half-joking.

"You think Thomas is worried about us again?" wondered Clyde, rubbing his now-smooth chin. All of them had trimmed what hair had grown before, and looked just as they had only a month ago.

"I would certainly hope so," Strago replied.

"All men be afraid of what dey cannot destroy," said Malain.

"And Thomas certainly knows how to hold a grudge. I guess he isn't aware that I do too," Locke said with a grin.

"Personally, I would consider him much more dangerous than Kefka was," said Clyde, glancing over at Interceptor, who slept soundly by the bow of the ship.

"Well, Kefka _was_ a raging lunatic," Edgar added.

"Yes, and he was very vocal about his plans… he sought destruction. As far as we are concerned, Thomas found what he was looking for at first, but has other intentions that remain unknown. Geeda doesn't seem like the kind of sadistic beast that enjoys destroying the world just because he can. He has some sort of purpose," Clyde explained.

"Maybe so. But for now, it's all just speculation, and our focus is just to put him down as quickly as we can," Strago noted.

"Sir! Unidentified object closing in fast! Approaching from the west!" shouted a voice.

Many of the imperial officials rushed from their positions and looked out to the west, where a surge of water was speeding straight towards them. The five heroes ran to the port side and narrowed their eyes to try and identify the mysterious shape in the ocean. It was apparent that they were in great danger.

"All men, prepare cannons to fire!" shouted one of the officers.

"Loading artillery shells! Cannon One ready to fire!"

"Cannon Two ready to fire!"

The ship was becoming increasingly active, just as it had been in the previous battle against the Legion ship earlier that day. The unknown presence was incredibly close now, and before the order to fire was uttered, the ship trembled violently from a heavy impact into the hull. The soldiers were thrown from the battle stations, and everything diluted into bewildering havoc as the ship swayed from the shock. Interceptor jumped to his feet and began barking madly, running towards Clyde.

"Looks like he found us!" said Edgar.

"It's the white whale again!" cried one of the gunmen, firing blindly into the water.

"Cease fire! Don't waste artillery! Only-"

The ship was slammed into once again, throwing an entire group of soldiers into the turbulent waters below.

"What I would give to have some magic back!" Strago grumbled, crawling across the deck with his new wooden rod in hand.

"What I would give to have my damn crossbow!" growled Edgar as the ship was bumped again.

"Set a course towards the nearest land possible!" shouted an officer.

"Deploy harpoons!"

"Engage emergency life boats and speedboats for battle!"

"Increase propeller speed!"

"Sir! It's coming back for another charge!"

"Take cover!"

"Secure the supplies on deck!"

"OPEN FIRE!"

The guns across the side of the ship fired all at once with a loud boom following. Five shells exploded in the water, hitting the esper directly. Bismark's head reared up from the sea with smoke and fire billowing around it as it let out a monstrous screech. The soldiers and sailors immediately began to reload the heavy weapons and aimed for the beast once again.

"Sir! Land spotted with the telescope straight ahead! Course due for southeast, only minutes away!"

Bismark growled and dove back into the ocean, disappearing from view until it suddenly popped out of the water on the other side of the boat, smacking the side of it with its giant tail. The artillery on that side opened fire and two shells forced it back down. Then came a powerful nudge from the bottom, the whale poking at the hull with its snout, rocking the ship more.

"Speedboats prepared sir! Harpoons are loaded and we await your orders!"

"Engage the enemy!"

"You four go here!"

"And you three go there!"

"You here!"

"Go, go, go!"

Officers barked out orders like mad as the imperial warriors scattered to their destinations. The big guns continued to shoot at the esper as it disappeared and reappeared around the ship, providing an elusive target for the slow moving machines. With the occasional bump against the war vessel, everything remained disorganized and frantic, while the ship still pressed on towards the land that was still very far off.

"There's got to be someway we can help!" said Locke.

"You guys just stay on deck! We'll take care of this for now!" Jarvis ordered, running to the stern of the ship.

"Wait! We're the ones who fought the rest! You can't-"

"Easy, Strago… we'll contribute somehow," said Clyde, keeping his hand close to Interceptor, who had no qualms about leaping into the water to attack this threatening monster.

The small speedboats that would be useful for this kind of situation were dropped into the water, carrying around five men on each with small lasers and harpoons as their armaments. The boats dashed out into the wide battlefield and followed after the hazy glimpse of white beneath the ocean surface. Before the first team had launched a harpoon, Bismark was oblivious to their presence, but suddenly grew agitated when the great spear stuck its right fin. It yanked the appendage down and forced the boat into the water, tossing out all of the men. They were all swallowed by the whale soon after.

"Shit! Not a good idea! Pull the speeders back!"

"Speedboats! Return to ship! RETURN TO SHIP!"

The cannons continued to shoot, and they seemed to be getting hardly anywhere as Bismark obliterated the remaining boats in the water, leaving many men stranded at sea or dead. On board, no one knew how to handle something like this, and they found no other option but to keep the present routine, which was doing very little.

"I can see the beach now!"

"Incoming!"

Bismark gave the hardest strike yet, completely denting in the right side of the ship and creating a huge gash in the metal that sent water pouring inside.

"Oh great! We're taking on water! We're taking on water! Prepare for emergency evacuation!"

"Shall we halt engines?!"

"No! Keep moving towards that land!"

"We can't do that, we'll-"

"Would you rather be stuck at sea with this damn whale or safe on land if possible?!"

"There's no guarantee!"

"We have to try!"

The esper rammed the ship from behind, sending the bow upward sharply before it splashed back into the water roughly, tossing them all off their feet on board. As it continued forward after that boost in distance, the vessel began to slightly tip towards the right as the ocean water began to weigh it down inside.

"It's getting closer now!"

Ahead of them, the land was in plain sight and not even half a mile away at this point. Some of the cannons continued to shoot at Bismark, and the imperials began to pray for safety from the great monster.

"It just might work…" Edgar said to himself, watching the whale circle around the ship as the guns fired and missed every time.

"What are you talking about?" said Locke.

The whale's tail struck the left side.

"We're sinking pretty fast now!"

"We're almost to land! Keep those engines burning!"

"The water level in the engine room is rising! Evacuation below deck is being carried out!"

Several men came bursting from the door leading to beneath the ship deck, panicked and confused. The ship continued to slowly approach the dry, dusty lands before them, and Bismark continued to nudge against the ship, partially pushing it away from its present course.

"It's diverting us away from the beach!"

"Shoot the damn thing!"

"OH SHIT!"

Suddenly, the gigantic whale leapt from the water, rising high above the crippled ship, Clyde and Malain finding this scene all too familiar for their comfort. The two of them immediately ran as far forward as they could, Locke, Strago, and the ever faithful Interceptor following.

"Edgar! What are you doing?!"

From a small pocket in his jacket, Edgar revealed his Air Anchor tool, enlarging it to functional size and taking aim for the descending esper.

"We're done for!" cried a sailor.

The powerful tool fired away and hammered into Bismark in mid-air, forcing the whale up and over out of its current path. It led out a low moan as its body twisted and contorted in the air before splashing forcefully into the ocean, sending massive waves in every direction that pushed the ship right into the beach ahead, completely crushing the bruised hull and throwing many overboard and onto the red dirt, those on deck heavily crashing to the floor. The defeated vessel settled against the earth and tipped to the side slightly with a loud creak before becoming absolutely still.

"Once again, we possess the uncanny ability to find a way out of trouble at the last minute," Strago yelped as he pulled himself together.

"It's almost like we're part of a conveniently written story that makes us the heroes," Locke joked.

"Everyone alright?!"

"Fine here sir!"

"Check on those men that fell out! They may require emergency aid!"

"Is it over?!"

"Did we win?"

"Where the hell are we?!"

"Our supplies are floating away!"

"Are the men below deck alright? Do we have any casualties on board? How many at sea?!"

"Where's the ship's log?!"

After that moment of lifelessness following the crash, things seemed to be becoming exponentially more active, and men were running back and forth in the aftermath of this emergency. During this madness, the heroes had gathered their bearings and began to help out as much as they could without getting in the way.

"Jarvis! How can we help?" said Edgar.

"Go check out the landscape and figure out where we are!" he replied, tossing several medical kits to other officers.

"Oh, I just love navigation trips…" Locke mumbled.

"Quit your whining! Let's get on with it!" Strago scolded him, being the first to take leave of the ruined ship.

When the five set foot on this barren land, accompanied by the excited dog, they immediately traveled east with their weapons at the ready. No wild animals were in sight, but monsters had a way of sneaking up on unsuspecting travelers, and the creatures would be delighted to scavenge the many wounded sailors near the beach.

"I think we're on the old New Vector continent. It might not be connected to the capital anymore though, thanks to the flooding," noted Edgar.

"Yes, I think I see a line of water to the south, so this is probably a significantly smaller landmass than before," Clyde added.

"Mountains," said Malain, pointing further east where the faint image of a large cluster of mountains could be seen.

"Oh damn. Those are the Phoenix Mountains, I think!" said Locke.

"Then we are close to Tzen… if it still exists," Clyde said.

They moved further out into the empty wilderness, checking behind them to make sure that the imperials were safe. Seeing that many of the soldiers had taken up defensive positions in case of an attack, they continued on. In the sky, the sun had begun to creep towards the horizon, noontime gradually developing into the evening time, and each one of them hoping to find security before nightfall.

"We probably shouldn't go too far out. It is probably not hard to get lost out here," said Locke.

"Let us hope dis village of yours really does still stand," Malain replied.

"It does… I know it does," said Clyde, not even willing to consider the thought of the small, defenseless hamlet being covered by the flood

"Thinking about Rosa, eh?" Locke wondered.

"Thinking about everybody… Rosa, Terra… Relm," he muttered in response.

Strago closed his eyes momentarily, gripping his staff with a squeeze for a moment. Not a day passed by that he didn't worry about her. Of course she would be able to handle herself, probably better than he could ever hope to do… but times like these always made his heart weak when Relm wasn't around. And if it wasn't enough that she was left with him by Clyde himself so many years ago. Still, Clyde had never talked about the subject during their adventure a month ago, and Relm was still unaware of the circumstances. He often wondered when it would come out.

"You will all find your friends again. It is destined to happen, I believe," said Malain.

"Hell yeah it is!" Locke said with a cheerful punch into the air.

Suddenly, Interceptor began to bark and snarl at the sky.

"Sir! Something approaching from the south!"

"No! All men prepare for battle! Secure the artillery! Pull the wounded to safety now!"

They whirled around to see the imperials becoming hyper frantic once again as some unknown presence neared them, and they quickly turned their attention to the coming threat.

"Well damn…" said Edgar.

_Author's Notes: Some of you have a way of getting ahead of me. Have faith that many of your questions have already gone under my consideration in the planning of this story. The first part of this did not have a whole lot of planning, but I have a rough summary of everything I expect to depict in this Part II. Important things will be explained and revealed as the story comes, so never fear, my loyal readers. But, I am sorry to say that I will be taking a little break of maybe a few weeks to gather my thoughts, because I definitely do not want to rush my writing if I can help it, and it was bad enough having to produce some fairly quick updates for this story in the beginning. So, you might not see some activity for a while, but I will make it worth your while.  
_


	6. Captain's Return

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter VI – Captain's Return**

Her eyes opened, and everything was completely blurry. For now, all she knew was the sound of loud clanking and clattering, followed by many quiet voices, loud noises echoing from far away, and frantic whispering just to her right. Then, her vision was clear, and she saw the wide, underground chamber with a long stretch of rail tracks spanning its entire length. Many filthy and famished people ambled about, hauling buckets of coal, pushing carts through the tunnels, dragging their pickaxes wearily to their destination. The mine was very active, and Relm Arrowny finally remembered where she was, and realized that the nearby voices were very familiar.

"So, they've tossed us down here for that?"

"Exactly."

"And this is the deepest part of the mines, you say?"

"Yeah, and there is almost no way out unless we can navigate through the maze of these caverns," said Sabin's much more distinguishable voice.

"Shall we reconsider our previous plan to satisfy this change?" asked Cyan.

"Perhaps Miss Daryl's rioting plan would be sufficient," said Siegfried.

"We'd have to know where we were running to first, though," Daryl added.

Relm slowly pulled herself to her feet, which drew the other's attention.

"Relm! You're awake!" Sabin exclaimed.

"Mhmm… awake," she mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she moved towards them.

"Look, let's put our plotting to rest for now. I think we need to make ourselves as inconspicuous as we can at this point," said Daryl.

"Really sucks that we had to beat Ramuh… he wasn't a bad guy before," said Sabin, kicking the dirt as he stood.

"Indeed. He was a noble man and it was a shame that Thomas corrupted that so carelessly. He shall meet his end soon," Cyan added.

"I think we should get working now… Thade probably has it out for us," said Daryl as she cautiously grabbed a nearby pickaxe and approached the wall of rock behind them.

"Yeah, well… we'll show him eventually!" Sabin replied, crushing a piece of coal in his hands.

_**Elsewhere**_

A dark blue orb of energy roared in from the south and fell upon the beached imperial ship, completely obliterating the back half of the vessel. The force of the explosion launched men and supplies through the air. Some unfortunate souls were crushed by falling cannons, and others suffered major injuries from their own falls onto the hard dirt below. The five heroes ran towards the ship in full sprint as Bahamut, the giant blue dragon flew overhead, making a sharp, curving turn back towards them.

"Will it never end?!" cried a soldier, who had begun to fire upon the esper with his insignificant laser.

Bahamut dove towards them and forced its right wing into the ground, smashing all who were in its path. Its rough landing shook the ground momentarily, and everyone capable of movement cleared out of its way quickly. The great beast yanked the wing from the dirt, standing upright on its large, clawed feet with frightful men all around.

"Well, there's certainly a familiar face!" said Locke, backing away from the dragon as it dipped its head lower to the ground, sinister eyes scanning the area.

All hell broke loose when the soldiers began to attack the monster. It blasted a massive hole in the ground with Mega Flare, vaporizing many of the troops in an instant. Several had begun to run for the ship, hoping to use the damaged artillery against it, but Bahamut quickly dispatched a few with a swipe of its tail.

"Come on! Figa! Aqua Breath! Level 4 Flare! ANYTHING!" Strago cried as a sailor flew right over his head.

When the militarists had been fairly subdued, the dragon turned its attention to the five heroes nearby, narrowing its red eyes upon sight of them. It lurched forward with a deep grumble, and the men backed away in unison, Clyde having to pull his Doberman back by force. They all ducked for cover when one of the ship guns fired into Bahamut's back, a small explosion enveloping the roaring esper. It swung its long neck around and shot a blue ball of energy from its growling mouth, destroying the ship even further before turning back to face its prey.

"I think it's after us specifically," said Edgar, watching as the vessel caught ablaze from the attack.

"Well, then we shouldn't disappoint…" Clyde growled, taking a bold step forward.

"Clyde… there are five of us against this big bastard," Locke started.

"I have never seen such a beast," Malain murmured.

"That's not going to stop you, is it?" said Clyde, flashing a quick smile before running straight for the esper.

He jabbed his sword point into Bahamut's foot, but could barely get the steel past its thick, scaly hide. Bahamut snarled and punched the ground where Clyde stood, but Locke had moved him out of danger just in time. Edgar quickly took advantage of the moment and prodded the dragon's fist with his spear, having the very same luck as Clyde. The esper roared and flicked the king away with a single finger, sending him flying across the dusty ground. Malain jumped into the fray and began to fiercely kick at Bahamut's rising hand. He was then halted by a sharp blow from the esper's giant elbow.

Bahamut clawed at the ground for Locke and Clyde, who leapt forward and hacked away at it. They retreated, however, when it fired one of its blue energy blasts, leaving a sizeable crater in the ground. Locke hastily circled around it and began to slash its ankles, while Clyde provided a distraction up front, weaving back and forth as the dragon swung its great claws. Meanwhile, Strago was busy calling out more failed spells, becoming ever more frustrated with himself.

"Come on! Damn you magic! Give me something to work with here! Grand Train! Blizga! Exploder! Quasar!"

The ground suddenly erupted with hundreds of green lights. It was an incredible sight as part of the sky became a swirling mess of green energy. Through the upward-shooting lights came a rapid barrage of blue lasers that fired all over Bahamut's body, followed by a whirlwind of asteroids that pounded into the beast. When the quick spell had dissipated, the dragon winced and clawed at the air, obviously suffering notable damage from the attack.

"Hah! Ha ha ha! I did it!" Strago said in amazement.

Bahamut roared and lunged for Strago, snapping its jaws angrily. Interceptor jumped forward and began barking and snarling at the dragon when suddenly, a white blur appeared out of nowhere and knocked Bahamut's head back. The others looked on in surprise as a great white yeti landed on the ground with a loud huff.

"Ugah! Bad dragon!" Umaro growled.

Bahamut popped its head back forward and flattened the yeti into the ground with its giant hand. Umaro quickly fought back and pushed away with his fists, jumping around madly as the esper grew angrier. The others jumped into the fray to assist their returned friend.

"Umaro! Your timing is impeccable!" Edgar called, thrusting his spear into Bahamut's thick leg.

Bahamut's agitation finally seemed to max out, and it let out a strangled shriek before drumming the ground violently with its great arms, shaking and rupturing the earth. The heroes dodged and weaved all over the place as it followed up with swift blasts of its blue energy breaths. Malain bravely leapt onto its wing and sprinted up the esper's back, delivering a heavy flying kick into its neck, irritating the beast further. Bahamut threw him from its back and swept him away with its powerful tail. As the tail came back, Umaro grabbed its tip with his large hands and tugged fiercely, giving the dragon a slight jolt as it continued to attack madly.

"Oooh gaaah!" roared the yeti.

Bahamut retorted with a monstrous snarl and drove Umaro into the ground with its elbow. Before it could obliterate him with Mega Flare, Clyde and Locke came charging forward, stabbing their swords into Bahamut's left foot. The moment the blades pierced through skin, the beast stomped its foot carelessly and sent them tumbling to the ground.

"Aqua Breath!" Strago shouted, laughing in delight as a barrage of bubbles hurtled into Bahamut.

"Nothing is working very well!" Edgar shouted, narrowly dodging one of the energy blasts.

Malain quickly recovered from his previous spill and dashed for the esper once more, sneaking up behind it as it stalked menacingly towards Edgar. He had almost succeeded in closing the gap, when Bahamut suddenly stopped and made its body rigid, as if bracing for something.

"What the hell?"

"Ah shit!"

The dragon reared its head up high with an ominous blue glow from its snout before firing its impressive Mega Flare straight into the earth beneath it. Initially, the ground exploded with dirt and rock, followed by a massive tremor that seemed to last forever as debris flew everywhere, pelting the heroes and whatever survivors were still by the remains of the imperial ship. They all tucked their limbs in close, lying face first on the ground as the land shattered to pieces. And soon enough, it was over and Bahamut leered over them all in a massive crater, barking in triumph.

"Can't stop now!" Locke wheezed, heaving himself free from a pile of dirt that had collapsed on him.

Bahamut snapped its head in his direction and began charging up another Mega Flare, glaring at him angrily. Locke's eyes grew wide and he immediately made a run for it, hoping to dodge a direct hit of the esper's most powerful attack. As the beast reared up, ready to annihilate its foes, a soft whistle came from far away, growing increasingly louder until something suddenly hurled into the dragon and ended in a fiery explosion on its exposed torso, sending Bahamut staggering back as it yelped.

"What was that?!" Strago exclaimed.

They looked to the east, where the first object had originated, spotting a very hopeful sight approaching in the distance.

"No way!" said Edgar.

Two more missiles launched from the sleek, jet black airship as it closed in, Bahamut folding its wings in front of itself and letting them take the hits, barely forcing it backwards. It snapped its jaws as the airship swooped low and flew right past it, making a quick u-turn after several yards. More missiles fired straight into the dragon's back, causing it to roar loudly in pain as the airship swooped down once more.

"Is that…?"

Bahamut began to fire up another Mega Flare, but it caught yet another missile straight in the chest, almost toppling to the ground if not for its wings to prop it up. The airship continued to circle about swiftly, launching the explosive objects at every available chance. And while the esper suffered this heavy bombardment, the heroes below began to flee towards the ship wreckage as the beast began stumbling around dangerously on its feet as the projectiles rocketed into it continuously.

It was a magnificent sight as the airship zoomed around the sky, dodging Bahamut's angry swipes and taunting the furious beast. The esper prepared to take flight after the ship, but was suddenly stopped when a hail of small explosives rained down upon it, keeping it earthbound as it let out a pained roar. The flying vessel quickly wheeled around and fired rocket after rocket into the beast as it slowly turned around, losing all remaining energy and becoming unable to defend itself as the missiles hammered into its unprotected body. A brilliant show of explosions covered Bahamut as it wailed helplessly, dust flying up around it as smoke and flame billowed in the air.

"Good lord!"

One final missile drove into the dragon's chest, and it uttered a long moan of defeat before falling forward into the ground, collapsing in a heap as the smoke and dirt cleared away, revealing the unfortunate beast as it lay motionless on the earth.

"Talk about some ridiculously good timing…" said Locke.

The airship dropped to the ground, landing right beside the ship wreckage. The team of heroes quickly made their approach, and all but Malain could not help but smile as the familiar face of Setzer Gabbiani appeared from the deck, dressed in a handsome imperial uniform with several soldiers behind him, his characteristic white hair billowing in the wind.

"Quite a chance meeting you guys here eh?" he called with a laugh.

"Setzer G., how the hell are ya?!" Edgar replied, running with the others closer to the ship as their friend lowered a rope ladder, down on the ground in no time to receive healthy embraces… even from Umaro.

"Ack! Ok! Good to see you too buddy! Thanks!" Setzer choked as the yeti nearly squeezed the life out of him.

"You and Umaro came out of nowhere just in the nick of time!" said Strago.

"Seem to have a knack of doing that for you guys," the pilot joked.

"And what's this uniform you have here? Dare I say you are a man of _authority_?" said Locke.

"Captain Gabbiani, reporting for duty," Setzer replied stoutly, giving a mock pose of intensity.

"Captain Gabbiani, how much did you have to wager to get that?" Clyde joked.

"Clyde! You made a joke! Oh it's been too long!" Setzer said with a hearty laugh.

"Captain Gabbiani, sir! There are wounded survivors around the side of the ship! Shall we take them aboard, sir?!" said a very loud and very intense soldier from Setzer's ship crew as he approached the group.

"Take them all, men! Search out for about a mile just in case any have tried to wander off! Dismissed!" Setzer said forcefully, receiving and delivering a quick salute.

"Oh, Setzer… I'd like you to meet my friend Malain. He has proven himself very useful to our cause," said Clyde, pulling Malain forward into their reunion.

"Greetings sir. I have heard many good tings about your flying," said Malain as the two shook hands.

"Good to meet you, Malain. So I guess our good friend Thomas hasn't let up on you guys either?" said Setzer.

"Strago and I just escaped from Mobliz before finding Clyde and Edgar," Locke explained.

"Malain and I were captives under pirates," said Clyde.

"And I was trapped in Zozo with Interceptor here," said Edgar, the dog looming around Clyde's ankles.

"Well, we can discuss all of this back home. Mind giving us a hand with these survivors?" said Setzer as he followed his crew towards the warship crash site.

They gladly obliged and served nicely in the process of loading up the injured. A considerable number of the sea crew was in good health with some minor injuries, and they were loaded up into the imperial airship quickly, allowing them all to be in the air in no time and on their way back to the capital.

"And we're off!" Setzer cheered as he blasted off into the sky.

_**Later**_

It was a most pleasant sight having seen the capital of New Vector in fairly decent shape. Besides the knee-deep water covering the city, everything else was in prime condition, and the citizens and soldiers seemed to have adapted to the situation well in the last month. Routines were organized and businesses thrived upon the platforms floating on the water, sustaining city life as if unaffected by the change of environment.

The capital building was alive with activity when the airship docked on the newly developed landing pad, where several partially completed airships rested under construction from hundreds of workers at once. The medical crew was ready and waiting for their arrival, the soldiers lending their assistance in delivering the injured into their hands and to the proper facilities. Setzer and his friends waited until every last person had departed the ship before leaving themselves. When the time had come, they entered the large imperial palace that was decorated with the banners of the New Empire, giant red flags with a gold shield stitched across, containing a bright red 'I' that stood for Independence in this world that was under the iron fist of the Legion of the People.

"Dis is a nice place," said Malain, marveling at the majestic interior of the place, with its rich alcoves and very bold structure, containing a mountain of activity as people dashed back and forth from the many hallways and rooms about.

"It's a good one," said Locke.

"Oooh, shiny man!" Umaro breathed, pointing at a nearby suit of silver armor.

"Umaro! Don't touch anything… please!" Setzer pleaded.

Interceptor barked to reinforce the point.

"Heh, good boy," said Clyde, patting the dog on the head as they proceed through the busy passage.

"We'll talk in my office," said Setzer, turning to a nearby iron door.

"Your _office_?" said Locke and Edgar simultaneously, both with looks of inevitable incredulity.

"Ok, ok… my personalized private quarters," Setzer said with correction, opening the door to reveal his 'personalized private quarters'.

Complete with a blackjack table, three slot machines, a craps table, and even a roulette wheel, a first glance said all that needed to be said about Captain Setzer. He also had a small desk with papers and other items scattered messily across, two filing cabinets, and a small couch that he obviously slept on, given the pillow and blankets sprawled along it.

"I see that some things never change," Strago joked.

"My ranking allows me certain liberties, thank you very much!" Setzer replied.

"Liberties that others benefit from, yes?" Edgar said with a smirk.

"Hah, I wouldn't say that many benefit from it… not everyone is a great gambler," Setzer answered.

"Ah, is there anywhere for us to sit?" asked Clyde, noticing that there was only one chair in the room.

"Bah, just have a seat on the couch our one of the tables. It's the best I can do," said the captain, taking his specific spot in his desk chair.

"What, did your liberty points get spent from all of the games so that you can't get a few chairs in here?" said Locke, dropping onto the couch.

Once the group had situated themselves appropriately (Umaro being forced to stand, due to nothing in the room having the capability to support his weight), they launched into a discussion about what had happened in the past month. Setzer, being the one with the most information, was able to fill them in on just about every major event that had occurred.

It was learned that Thomas Geeda has been seeking alliances with other areas across the world, being a virtually untouchable force due to his fortified city of Zantalore, his large, growing army, and his incredible powers. Only a few small townships had sworn allegiance to him, and the New Empire was on a mission to bring as many people over to their side as possible, before Thomas got a hold of them.

They were told that Narshe was now a slave camp for those who have opposed the Legion of the People, and the colliery is larger than it has ever been; Nikeah had recently been stricken with a vile and deadly plague that was contained to the port town, but had devastating consequences on trade and transportation; Jidoor is an imperial ally, but the city was decimated from The Flood, and Owzer is safe there and has opened his house as a shelter, remaining in the city to handle that business; Albrook has been completely submerged by water.

Many of the citizens in South Figaro have relocated to the caves close to the town; the villagers of Tzen had relocated to the Phoenix Mountains, where Umaro confirmed that he came from; Kohlingen has expanded into a thriving port city atop a plateau created by the geographical changes of The Flood, and it remains neutral territory; Thamasa has sustained heavy damage, but sits on the coast of its island now, slowly being reconstructed by its civilians; Valorin was wiped out, but the residents and workers were able to salvage a considerable amount of supplies and are now rebuilding in the nearby mountains.

Elsewhere, small harbors have begun to develop across the world, due to travel being limited to the sea mostly, and large factions of independent pirates basically swarming the waters. Along with this, esper attacks have become a random occurrence across the world, and the imperials are doing everything they can to revive their MagiTek technology to fight back against the beasts, to very little avail.

"Well damn… looks like we've got a lot of work to do," said Locke.

"That we do. I think we should get down to business starting tomorrow morning," Setzer added.

"Agreed. Where to first?" Edgar asked.

"I am eager to see Valorin's development. Perhaps we could help out a bit there and gain them as an official ally?" Strago suggested.

"I like that idea," Clyde seconded.

"Malain? What say you?" Locke called from across the room.

"I go where you go, as long as I may be of some help," Malain replied.

"Help's always appreciated buddy. I think I'm going to like you," Setzer said with a grin, earning a smile and a grateful nod from Malain.

"Well, I'm thinking it's time to eat… I'm sure the honorable Captain here can get us in with some food, eh? Eh?" Locke said with a nudge from his elbow.

"Oh, that's right… thieves always have to scrounge for their food," Setzer joked.

Clyde laughed as Locke pushed the pilot from his chair, standing over him triumphantly. Somehow, things had turned out very well so far… and perhaps luck was finally smiling upon them this day. It certainly would be a long road to defeating Tom Geeda, however, and Clyde anticipated a fairly difficult path ahead. It was moments like these where everyone was relaxed and free of stress that they should take full advantage of… because it was about to become one hell of a ride.

_Author's Note: I have returned. Kind of like waiting weeks for a new episode of your favorite TV show eh? I've been anxious to get this thing rolling again. Let's see how well I do!_


	7. The Ninth Dream

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter VII – The Ninth Dream**

He was standing in a meadow. It was a beautiful meadow in the spring, with flowers and grass of all types blooming everywhere. A nice breeze swept gently across the land, the sun shining on his shoulders. The sky was blue, with few clouds in the sky, and birds chirped peacefully all around. It was a wonderful day.

"Enjoying yourself?" called the same voice that had followed him through the past eight dreams.

"Dammit… who are you?!" Clyde growled, looking up at the sky in rage.

"All will be revealed in good time, lad. For now, I suggest you watch your back… because wherever you go, we will find you."

"We aren't afraid of you. Go ahead and send your espers… let them meet their fate!" shouted Clyde.

The ground suddenly erupted with fire, knocking Clyde off his feet as the earth broke apart and great flames leapt into the air. Everything seemed to slow down as a cataclysmic destruction of his surroundings took form. The sky turned a frightening red hue, and everything around him deteriorated into ash and nothingness. The trees, the grass, all of it withered away as the fires swallowed the meadow and reduced it into a barren wasteland as the ground continued to shatter. The white clouds became black smoke that swarmed the crimson sky, and Clyde looked around frantically for a means to escape. The chaos was endless.

"One would hate for an unfortunate accident to befall your journey!" the voice called in amusement.

"Clyde? Yo Clyde! Wake up!" came another voice.

"I swear to-!"

Clyde was then roused from his slumber by Locke, who stood over his small cot in their little dormitory.

"Dreaming? Come on man, we're about ready to leave!" he said, heading towards the door.

"Ugh… sleep will forever curse me," Clyde mumbled as he pulled himself to his feet.

_**Later**_

Setzer stood patiently on his ship's deck as the others marched out onto the landing pad, Clyde and Interceptor coming along at a fairly slow pace, as Clyde was still very weary from the odd exhaustion he got from the simple process of sleeping. The captain nodded to his comrades as he let the rope ladder down and they begun to board.

"What, no military escort?" Edgar asked facetiously.

"This isn't an official imperial mission, and I'm acting more as a private missionary here," Setzer explained.

"Well, let's hope we don't run into too much trouble. I'd hate to be shot down by the Legion and be surrounded by hundreds of soldiers," said Locke.

"We'll be fine. Not much different than what we've done before, right?" Setzer said with a grin, firing up the engines to his airship.

Once Clyde had helped his dog into the vessel, the ship began its slow ascension, rising steadily higher until they were clear for departure, and Setzer blasted off at his preferred high throttle, the imperials watching the airship speed away while they carried on their daily routines.

"Are you ever going to take off slowly?!" Strago cried as he was knocked to the deck from the force of the engines.

"That's no fun, old man!" Setzer shouted over the wind as they leveled off and directed their course towards Valorin.

"Aah, I miss the wind of high altitude," Locke sighed.

"Woah, Malain… you alright?" said Clyde, noticing that his friend was leering close to the stairs that led below deck, looking around frightfully.

"I've never been on anyting like dis!" Malain replied.

"You'll get used to it!" Setzer called back.

A short time later, the airship landed next to the wide stretch of mountains in the northeast corner of the world, where the beginnings of a new Valorin could be seen under development. Their plight became very apparent when it was shown that the mountains stood on a very small patch of land with the wide ocean surrounding and only a small, single ship dock located by the coast. Valorin had few supplies, and because of such there were only a small number of buildings that were partially completed. The town had yet to erect a complete structure.

"It's still so tiny," noted Edgar as he watched from afar, noticing that the townsfolk had just then noticed their presence.

"Doesn't help that they were kind of obliterated," said Strago.

The team carefully departed the vessel and approached the town even more carefully, not wanting to startle the citizens, who were probably fearful enough of any visitors. They arrived at the foot of the mountains fairly quickly, standing before a roofless shop that was built against the rock landform. A woman and her child eyed their weapons cautiously, nudging for her son to stand behind her.

"What do you want?" she said coldly.

"Pardon our abrupt intrusion, ma'am. I am Captain Setzer Gabbiani of the New Empire," said Setzer with a bow.

"We're here to help out!" Locke added.

"Oh my! Oh my, oh my!" called a voice.

The group turned to see the ever-jolly mayor of Valorin bounding towards them as the townsfolk watched with interest. He skidded before them and shook Locke's hand enthusiastically with a broad smile on his face.

"You have returned! I knew that we would see you heroes again!" the mayor cried.

"It's good to see that you are well, sir… we're here to help out in any way we can," said Edgar.

"Oh, you are saints! Fortunately, one of your own wound up here when that terrible flood hit! He made quite a difference in evacuating the town!"

"Wait, what? One of our team is here?!" Locke asked excitedly.

"Ugah! Loook!" said Umaro.

They all looked to see a young, wild-looking boy coming around the edge of the mountain with a bundle of wood in his arms. He marched barefoot across the rough ground and carefully placed the lumber next to a construction station, not even noticing the curious stares.

"Gau!"

"Uah? Ooooh! Friends!" Gau exclaimed, going absolutely frantic and scampering towards the heroes on his hands and feet.

Edgar was the unfortunate recipient of a loving tackle by the wild boy, resulting in the laughter from the other men. Even Malain found it considerably amusing.

"Dis boy is very excited, mon!"

Interceptor began barking at him, hopping around like mad as Gau grew more restless.

"That's Gau for you. He used to live in the Veldt," said Clyde, watching as Edgar staggered to his feet while Gau danced around their group.

"Shad, Shad, Shadow! New friend?" Gau asked as he stopped before Clyde.

"Clyde, Gau… Clyde. This is Malain. Malain, Gau."

"A pleasure to be meetin' you," Malain said.

"Meet, meet, meet! We all meet! Eat meat?" Gau babbled.

"Wild as ever, I see," said Strago.

"Ah, but he's been an excellent help to the rebuilding process. There isn't a thing he won't do!" said the mayor.

"Where other friends? No Mr. Thou! No fat man!"

"Well… we kind of got separated by The Flood, but we're trying to get everyone back!" said Clyde.

"And then we're going to smack Tom Geeda around a little bit!" Locke added.

"Oh! I help smack bad man!" Gau replied eagerly.

"You'll definitely get your chance," said Setzer.

"Well, as you can see we are not very far along with reestablishment. For now, we're just trying to create as many places as possible for our citizens to sleep comfortably," the mayor explained, pointing out the poor shape of Valorin.

"How can we help?" asked Edgar.

A muffled _boom_ suddenly sounded from the sky. The entire town looked around in bewilderment, and something immediately rocketed down in a trail of yellow light, smashing into one of the buildings and completely destroying it with a bright explosion. The civilians screamed and ran for cover, while the heroes immediately drew their weapons and faced the blue sky, noticing a small black shape zooming into sight.

"Who is it this time?!" Locke yelled.

The shape became clearer as it flashed forward and became visible, hovering above Valorin with a menacing presence. It was a gray skinned, bulky, brawny, man-shaped creature three times the size of a normal person. On its fearsome head was a mass of blue-gray hair draped along its shoulders, floating in the wind as if a light breeze was blowing, though there was none. The people on the ground stared frightfully at its muscled body, large clenched fists heaving.

"Who is that?" said Edgar.

"Yura," Strago replied.

The esper plunged to the ground with a mighty roar, the heroes dodging just in time as it pounded its fist into the earth, searching for a target. It's snarling visage sought out the closest opponent, and it suddenly leapt for Malain. Before it could reach him, the others quickly converged upon it, all attacking at once. Clyde slashed its arm, Locke stabbed its leg, Edgar prodded it from behind, Umaro swung his fist for its chest. All of these attacks were deflected when Yura released a radial blast of bright blue energy, knocking his attackers away. Umaro was about to rebound for another strike, but was hurled backwards by a stream of cosmic plasma from Yura's hands.

"Waoo!" cried Gau as he flew into Rage.

Yura quickly flew forward to avoid the Giga Volt Gau had called. It then retaliated with summoning a white comet-like spell that fell from the sky straight for the wild boy. Gau leapt to the side as the comet impacted the ground with a small explosion. However, as he dodged the first attack, he was sent flying backwards from a spell similar to Metero, only considerably weaker. Malain quickly gathered his bearings as Gau went rolling backwards, and he dashed towards the hulking esper. Yura turned about just in time to see Malain sliding to a stop only a few feet away, planting his right foot far behind his left before suddenly kicking forward with… literally 'lightning speed' as a bolt of energy surrounded his foot and electrocuted Yura as he kicked him square in the chest. The beast roared angrily and quickly launched itself into the sky, disappearing into the distance in an instant. The battle was over as quickly as it had begun, for now.

"Holy… damn!" said Locke.

"Duncan must teach you kids something special," commented Edgar as he recovered.

"He is a very powerful mon," Malain replied.

"Well, it looks like we're in the clear for now… but I don't think Yura is _that_ easily put down," said Strago.

"Let's follow him," Setzer suggested.

"We follow bad monkey!" Gau babbled as he crawled back over to the group, brushing off dirt from his shoulders.

"You're leaving us already? That thing could come back and destroy us! It might bring friends!" the mayor said in a panic.

"That's why we're going after it… and I'm sure we'll catch a hold of its _friends_ along the way," said Setzer.

"You know, we could spend all day discussing it over tea, or we could get on the damn airship and get going!" Locke shouted as he jogged back towards the ship.

"Don't you think this is a little rushed?" asked Clyde to no avail, as the others had already begun to follow suit.

_**Meanwhile**_

Upon an island bordered with ports sat the world's famous opera house that had sustained a strong business even after The Flood. Granted, the performances were devoid of high class due to the innumerable pirates and scoundrels that docked there occasionally, but the Impresario persisted in putting on a wonderful show despite their usually rowdy audience. Fortunately for him, Thomas Geeda had collected the rights to the building and utilized his followers to ensure its protection. Even power hungry madmen enjoy the arts.

"Oh! Lord Geeda's ship approaches! Go inform the Impresario at once!" cried a dockworker to his partner.

The other man took off quickly towards the opera house as Thomas Geeda's intimidating flagship, _The Praetorian_ pulled into the harbor. The vessel carefully docked, and its propellers slowed it to a complete stop by the pier, where other workers waited to harness the ship down. After their work was complete, the three knights of the Trine dropped down from a steel ladder draped down the side of the large ship, followed closely by Lord Geeda himself. Without a word to the men around, the four proceeded towards the structure ahead.

Moments later, he marveled at the lavish interior of the opera house, finding the decorations and ornaments to be particularly pleasing to the eye. This was the first time in quite a while that he had felt the need to attend the opera, and it was astounding that the building was spared from The Flood, especially being trapped idly on a small isthmus.

"Ah! Lord Geeda… how lovely to see you!" cried the rotund Impresario.

"Quite… I assume you have made the correct preparations this time?" Thomas sneered, his three bodyguards glowering at the man.

"Y-yes! Everything is perfect now!" the host stammered, leading the way to their seats as the last of the other attendees began to filter into the theater.

Thomas sat in his favorite balcony seat, having an excellent view of everything and everyone below him with nobody else in his area. The Trine quickly secured themselves close enough to their master, should any trouble arise. It was not long of a wait before the orchestra conductor raised his baton and the show began.

"Ah, I do love this opera…" Geeda mused.

"It is a good one, sir," said Lanceus, faking interest as he removed his helmet.

Tom waved his finger in the air to the beat of the overture, being very familiar with The Dream Oath after seeing it many times before. He hardly ever missed a cue as he conducted to the air, letting himself give into the silly entertainments people had.

"The West and East were waging war…" came the sonorous voice of the narrating Impersario as he appeared on stage.

"Draco, the West's great hero, thinks of his love, Maria," Thomas said softly along with the narrator's words, leaning forward with great interest.

"Sir, perhaps we should create an opera house in Zantalore?" Bediveus whispered.

"Shh! Don't talk during the performance!" Geeda scolded with a glare.

A second or two passed as the Impersario continued.

"Although, that is not a bad idea," Tom said quietly.

As the show went along, he marveled in the beauty of the music as it sounded throughout the performance hall, feeling the heavy vibrations of Draco's solo as it echoed to the audience. When the overture continued, Thomas dreamily danced his fingers along to the triplets played by the strings.

Meanwhile, the young lady starring as Maria watched the stage from her dressing room, taking deep breaths before her entrance came. This was her first performance in at least a week, given the many women of the opera house who qualified for the role. She had done this many times before now, but somehow these shows always brought her back to the very first time… the time where she really had no choice but to do this, and it wasn't until afterwards that she realized how amazing the opera was. It was unlike anything she'd experienced throughout her entire life, and given her past, there was quite a bit that she had experienced.

"But she never stopped yearning for Draco…" said the Impresario… and that was her cue.

Celes Chere took another deep breath and slowly glided out to the stage.

Thomas now leaned forward in his seat as the harp began to play, and his favorite scene of The Dream Oath had just started. Granted, he could care less about the romantic lyrics and the heroic theme of the story, but this aria was absolutely remarkable and it was a moment that he lived for in hearing beautiful voices sing it.

"Oh my hero… so far away now. Will I ever see your smile?" she sang, filling the room with her incredible voice.

As she became more visible on the set, something about her immediately struck Tom. He was not quite sure what it was at the moment, but there was an odd familiarity about this woman, and definitely not because he had seen this opera over five times.

"Sire, are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost," said Galleus.

"I-I… I'm fine," Thomas murmured, narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized the lovely woman.

Her voice was amazing, her body was amazing, her face was…

"Son of a bitch," he growled with a hideous and dawning realization that nearly took the wind out of him.

"Sire?" said Bediveus.

At that moment, one of the house ushers quietly sneaked into the balcony area and made a crouched walk towards Tom Geeda, a small message in his hand.

"Ahem… sorry to interrupt, Sir Thomas. I have a message delivered for Lord Thomas Geeda," he whispered, handing over the note.

Thomas practically tore it from the man's hands and read.

The Ironclad has reported sighting an Imperial airship taking flight towards Narshe. I figured it would be best to alert you about this and obtain your plan of action, because apparently there are only a handful of passengers rather than a military regiment, a fairly peculiar choice. –Master Thade

He glared at the message and clenched his hands tightly together, crumpling up the paper with a low grunt. The Trine could tell that their master was deeply troubled, and they gathered in close.

"Sire, what bothers you?" asked Lanceus.

"Some unfortunate circumstances have arisen, and I must depart. I want you three to stay here until the opera is finished… you will take 'Maria' into custody and deliver her to Narshe to work in the mines," Thomas explained as he stuffed the crushed note into a pocket.

"Is she of importance?" wondered Bediveus aloud.

"Hence, the master's orders," Galleus replied sardonically.

"Do your jobs well, and I will see you in Narshe," Geeda whispered as he stood boldly from his seat.

"What shall I do? I'm lost without you. Speak to me once more!" Celes sang, letting her voice project up to the heavens as she fell into the moment, until catching the eyes of a disturbingly familiar face.

She froze for a second upon catching the quick glimpse of Thomas Geeda's sneering visage before he disappeared from the balcony with quick steps. Her heart sank in terror, and she nearly missed her cue to ascend the stairs of the castle.

_Author's Note: Yes, I'm still alive, and so is the story. School is just taking its toll on me. Luckily this is our last week though, so I'm hoping to dish out some good material during our Christmas break, but I definitely don't want to be rushed. So, enjoy what you can, my loyal readers. _


	8. Fall From Grace

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter VIII – Fall From Grace**

Applause filled the hall, along with the hoots and hollers of scoundrels and corsairs, uproarious noise echoing throughout the entire opera house. Traditionally, flowers would be thrown to the stage… however, the pirates always opted to instead throw bottles of rum and wine, covering it in broken glass and sticky drink (but not as a sign of disrespect). At this point, the Impresario would quickly usher the actors off stage.

"I guess they liked it! As usual…" said the actor playing Draco, wearily.

"Hey, you're still getting paid for this gig! Don't cop out on me yet!" said the Impresario.

"Excuse me," said a voice.

The party of actors stopped as they entered their preparation room, noticing the intimidating Trine awaiting them, holding their helmets at their sides.

"Ah… it seems that Ms. Chere is absent from your company. Where is she?" asked Lanceus.

"Wait… she was right by me a second ago," said Prince Ralse's actor, looking around in confusion.

Bediveus craned his neck to look towards the stage, noticing that Celes was dashing across towards another door.

"She's trying to escape! Let's go!" he shouted, shoving his helmet back down on his head.

The three knights roughly pushed the crew aside, tearing out to the stage and sprinting after Celes as the curtain came down, drowning out the noise of the audience. She made a sharp turn towards the poorly lit backstage area and weaved through the props and scenery sets, with the Trine following close behind. As she came upon one of many backstage exits, she whirled around and stopped them momentarily with Blizra, one of only few spells that she had retained regular use of since The Flood. Then she flew out the door while they drew their weapons.

"I think it would be wise to apprehend her without harming her. However, if push comes to shove, then force will be an inevitable response. Just make sure we get her alive," said Galleus as they tore through the exit, obliterating the door from its hinges.

The three of them came upon a dark hallway with only dim lights set along the walls. They noticed a flash of white disappear around the corner to the left, so they made a rush towards that direction. As Lanceus was about to turn onto the new path, a heavy statue suddenly came toppling towards them. The large knight quickly thrust his broadsword straight through the figure, shattering the statue to pieces and running forward after Celes as she ran through an exit to the outside of the opera house.

"Hah! She won't be able to run from us in open space!" Bediveus roared triumphantly as he axed straight through the door.

The three knights came running out into the sun baked island of the opera house, seeing nothing but dry land and surrounding ocean… but no sign of their prey as they skidded to a stop. They looked about in every direction ahead of them, seeing absolutely no sign of her passing. There weren't even any footprints in the dirt.

"She escaped us?!" Bediveus growled.

Galleus suddenly whirled around and hurled one of his swords through the door-less exit just as Celes swung down from an archway, the blade slicing across her leg and causing her to fall straight to the ground with a scream. The three warriors were upon her before she could even consider her defense, and they pulled her to her feet and dragged her away while she fought viciously to no avail.Galleus remained behind to collect his weapon before joining the others as they carried off their capture.

_**Elsewhere**_

The airship went along at a fairly slow pace over the worldwide blue ocean, all of its passengers keeping a keen eye out for flying espers. So far, not a thing was to be seen save for the clouds and a few flocks of birds.

"I feel kind of bad for just leaving them all there, defenseless," said Edgar.

"I think they'll be alright for now. Hell, Geeda's focus has probably switched to us by now," Locke replied.

"Who knows what he'll send at us next, though?" said Strago.

"Hey, this ship took out Bahamut. Thomas Geeda can't touch me!" Setzer bragged.

"There be some land!" Malain called from the bow of the ship, pointing to the horizon as land indeed came in view.

"Nice eyes, Malain," Locke commended.

Setzer steered the vessel closer to the discovered area, increasing speed slightly and lowering their altitude. As their destination came clearer, a thick forest of snow-covered trees became visible, surrounding an odd, metal castle-like structure, along with the gradual revelation of a long chain of mountains, bordered dangerously close by the sea. Here, the air also gained a noticeable chill.

"Is this the Narshe region?" Clyde wondered.

"Indeed it is," said Setzer.

"This is the closest of Geeda's bases?" asked Edgar.

"Probably the most important," noted Strago.

"The slave colony here is massive," Setzer explained.

"Ah, and a likely place for some esper guardians," Locke murmured.

A loud, high-pitched whir suddenly sounded in their ears, followed by a thin, yellow beam of light shooting from the strange structure in the forest, vaporizing a chuck of the airship. Setzer immediately lost control of flight, and the vessel made an angled dive towards the ground, smoke billowing from the thrusters above due to severe engine damage. The heroes held on tight as Setzer tried to pull up, only gaining a small bit of leveling off before crashing across the tops of the snowy trees, the hull of the airship being stripped away piece by piece.

"Damn, damn, damn, damn, DAMN!" Setzer shouted, using all of his might to slow the ship down as it tore along the forest headed for the mountains.

"Mayday, mayday! This is Captain Setzer Gabbiani! I am calling for rescue! Ship is going down! Coordinates are… damn! Somewhere in the Narshe region! Any available ships, we need assistance! Going down, going down!" he continued, speaking into the small radio box on his control panel that was luckily still functioning… he hoped.

Clyde looked over to see the esper Alexander, the massive castle-shaped robot, stalking towards them as the airship slowed down, finally breaking apart and exploding from the engines rupturing, tossing the heroes through the air and to the ground. It was a rough landing for all, but they luckily survived. Umaro even held tightly to Interceptor, protecting the dog from the fall. When they all staggered to their feet with pain shooting through their bodies, most of them regrouped, Clyde being the only missing in action.

"Where's Clyde?!" said Locke.

"Clyde! Where you be, mon?!" Malain called out.

"Shhh! Did you guys not notice Alex-"

They looked up in terror to see the giant esper leering over them, protruding from the trees like an evil and impressive fortress claiming dominance over the land. The group quickly scattered as it fired another yellow laser, blasting a wide hole in the ground, spewing earthen material everywhere. From its 'shoulders' opened two panels, where small beams of holy energy came swirling outward and seeking out targets, diving for the frantic heroes below.

"Oh jeez! Oh jeez!" said Strago, weaving back and forth as quickly as his old body would let him, the holy blasts snuffing into the ground all around his path.

Edgar rolled swiftly out of the way of a triad of holy bolts, quickly picking himself back up as Alexander continued to fire at them swiftly. All of them were soon running out of places to run as holy lights came raining down from above. Eventually, they were all hit dead on by the blasts, knocking them senseless to the ground while Alexander trudged closer to them in its victory.

"Ooouch…" moaned Edgar, rolling onto his back with his spear ready.

They heard the familiar sound of a Telepo spell, and all looked up to see Alexander resting directly above them in a stationary pose, a gargantuan monster that could easily crush the whole team.

"You know, I thought it merely misfortune when three of your band showed up to kill me in my own private study… but now I see that your persistence has reunited us under most dire circumstances," said Thomas Geeda as he appeared from behind one of Alexander's 'arms'.

"You son of a-"

"Shhhhh… don't over exert yourself, thief," Geeda said calmly.

"Still arrogant as ever," Edgar growled.

"Ah yes, aspiring to defeat the most powerful man in this known world is definitely not arrogant of _you_," Tom countered.

"You aren't about to start a monologue, are you?"

Tom Geeda whirled around to see the sneering face of Clyde coming from the nearby trees, his sword drawn and ready.

"Clyde, Clyde, Clyde! It's been too long, friend… although, I do think you have been in closer contact than you think," Geeda said with a smirk.

"Just shut up and bring it on," Clyde demanded, pointing his sword blade at the man, keeping a wary eye on Alexander, who stood completely still for the moment.

Another Telepo spell occurred, and a new figure materialized right next to Tom; Zirgen Thade.

"Clyde, I would like you to meet the man who has been helping me get inside your head," Geeda said with a laugh, gesturing to Zirgen.

"It's been quite an intriguing thing, exploring your mind," said Zirgen, his voice having a strange familiarity to it… yet a distinctly foreign sound that he had never heard.

"What was that whole 'No one cheats Death' thing?" Clyde asked, his eyes narrowed on Zirgen, referring to the second of his recurring nightmares.

"Just an attempt to spook you out of your journey. Obviously it did not have much affect," Zirgen replied, chucking lightly.

"You know what? Screw you buddy!" shouted Setzer as he flung his Fixed Dice at Thade, heaving himself to his feet as he did so.

The dotted cubes flew through the air and released a moderate blast of energy that stunned Zirgen for only a second before he retaliated with a blast of Figa that send Setzer sprawling backwards. He was then head-butted by Gau, and the others dashed into the fray, ignoring their immense pain that would hinder their fight greatly. Strago quickly took his chance to blast Thade with Aqua Breath, cheering at a successful Blue Magic cast. Thomas cackled devilishly as he drew his sword, but Clyde was on him in an instant.

"You won't find us so submissive this time!" Clyde yelled as they clashed blades, attacking each other swiftly.

"I think you're forgetting something, lad!" Geeda replied as he revealed the Crystal Tear secured to his wrist, filing his sword across its electric blue form, energizing it as he had done many times before.

The villain dealt a hammering strike to Clyde's sword that sent the hero flying back several feet, crashing into the stationary arm of Alexander. Tom approached with a menacing yell, but was steered off course and forced to the ground by a succession of rapid kicks from Malain. He hastily retaliated with a Tear-charged blast of Fira, tossing Malain out of the way.

"Newcomer? A shame he doesn't know what he'd gotten himself into by joining the likes of you idiots!" taunted Geeda.

Yards away, Zirgen was wrestling with Umaro, who was the only one standing after the others had been rendered inactive by Thade's powerful magic. Against the yeti, the magician showed unbelievable strength, having the power to hold the great beast at bay without budging an inch. Finally, he gained the advantage and threw Umaro to the ground with a victorious shout. However, he was caught by surprise when Interceptor tackled him from behind and sank his teeth in. Zirgen screamed in pain as he shook the dog away, clutching his now-bleeding shoulder while Interceptor stood defensively, barring his frightening teeth. From a distance, Thomas Geeda grinned as he took aim at the dog with his sword point, ready to fire a lethal blast at the animal.

"Not my dog, you son of a bitch!" Clyde roared in fury, lunging for Tom and thrusting his sword forward.

Thomas delayed his attack on the canine and turned to face his assailant, bringing his blade straight down over Clyde's forcing it towards the ground. Clyde immediately took the momentary advantage he was given and he harshly elbowed Geeda in the face. The force of the blow made Geeda trip and stumble backwards with a bloody noise, clutching it in pain.

"We've got to get out of here!" Setzer groaned as he crawled over to his dice that lay feet away from him.

"Come on magic… work with me here!" Strago pleaded, holding his eyes shut in heavy concentration.

"You will not escape my clutches _this_ time!" Thomas grunted as he hit Clyde directly with a charged Thunga.

"Wait a minute…" Strago muttered, his eyes opening to see Geeda stalking towards their weakened group, while Thade dodged a leap from Interceptor nearby.

"I'm going to do this the right way now! METEO!" Geeda cried, holding the Crystal Tear in his casting hand.

The old blue mage pulled himself up with surprising vigor. Strago then hobbled towards Thomas, using his staff as leverage, and he quickly placed his own hand over the Tear, Tom completely unaware of what was happening until too late.

"Telepo!"

Strago's staff seemed to involuntarily point at every single member present except for Geeda and Thade, and suddenly they all disappeared from sight, teleported away. The intense Meteo manifested just as they were gone, having absolutely no effect on the empty air.

"WHAT?! THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE!" Thomas shrieked as his fingers clenched tightly around the glowing Tear.

Alexander came to life again, and began lumbering to the east. Thomas and Zirgen quickly ran towards that direction, just in time to see the heroes closing in on an imperial warship near the mountains.

"No, no, NO, NO! ALEXANDER, FIRE!"

Alexander fired its primary beam, but missed completely. The imperial ship then fired back with its artillery, small missiles exploding on Alexander's 'head'. Tom fumbled around for the Crystal Tear as the ship began to pull away, once Clyde was the last one aboard. The two men rounded about the corner of the mountain and began to conjure up spells as the vessel gradually waded towards the south. But by the time Alexander could secure its target again, it was too far off for its holy attacks to be of any effect, and Zirgen's Aero attack could not reach the ship. As the warship made its escape, Setzer ran to the edge of the bow and delivered a mocking salute to the furious Tom Geeda before collapsing on the deck.

"HOW DO THEY ALWAYS ESCAPE?!" he screamed.

"Master, we still have a bit of leverage to lure them back…" Zirgen said as he cured his shoulder wound with Cura.

Thomas quickly cooled himself down, still huffing a bit, but considerably calmer for the time being.

"This is true… and I've left the Trine to apprehend one of the feistier members from the opera house. She will make things interesting."

"Well, let's hope she doesn't put up the fight those other troublesome slaves have…" Thade replied.

_**Meanwhile**_

"Ow, my freaking leg!" Setzer cried.

"Hold still Captain!" said the imperial medic as he tended to the gambler.

Every one of them lay in tired heaps on deck, panting heavily from their dash for the ship.

"Doesn't_anyone_ have any healing magic anymore?!" shouted Setzer.

"Whining isn't going to make it better, sir," said a sailor.

"Aah, let him vent. What is that, four airships we've lost in the past year?" said Locke as he sat up.

"Ooooh…" Setzer groaned, covering his face in shame.

"Hey, we've gotten pretty far with those four airships…" Edgar commented, rubbing his pained arm.

"I think Setzer has done an excellent job!" Strago added.

"Woo! Yes! We fly fly!" Gau said as he rolled around on deck, having recovered the quickest of them all.

"You know… it's weird to think that this is the second time that we get so close to saving the world, and the prick we're fighting always taps into some ancient magical power that ends up altering the landscape completely," Locke noted.

"Well, we all reunited last time," said Clyde.

"Think we'll be so lucky again though?" asked Edgar.

"Tom mentioned that three of 'our band' tried to kill him, something Locke and I heard about in Mobliz," Strago said.

"This Thomas does not seem like de kind of mon to spare someone for an attempted murder," said Malain.

"Let's just stay positive for now," Locke replied. 

"_Four_ airships! Two of which were imperial-made! Lord Valkin has got to be getting tired of me by now… there's no way he'd lend another one away to such a risk!" Setzer whimpered.

"There have got to be-" Locke began.

"NO! There aren't enough! We have a limited supply of sea ships as is!" Setzer continued.

"Ahem… excuse me sir," said one of the sailors.

"What do you want?!" the pained pilot growled.

"Setzer… calm down," Clyde said.

"He is quite hostile at times," Malain whispered.

"The Empire is a little better off than you would think," said the sailor.

"What do you mean?" Edgar asked.

"Well… there's this project. Something we've been working on since we developed MagiTek," he explained.

This gained Setzer's attention, and all of them quickly gathered near the lad to hear his story.

"Go on… we are definitely listening."

_**Later**_

She was completely dumbfounded by the time she regained consciousness. As they had pulled her onto the ship, she simply passed out, and now it was quite a bit later, well past the afternoon, when she found herself being shoved through a massive mine. The familiar atmosphere led her to assume that this was Narshe, it being the only logical conclusion after she had heard about an apparent 'slave camp' in the coal mines.

"Move it along, woman," growled the man who shoved her, a grunt for the Legion.

"Easy, bud. I used to be-"

"Shutup!" he barked, ramming the blunt edge of his axe handle into her back.

Celes fell forward from the blow, cringing in pain as she collapsed onto a sharp pile of rocks. She looked around to see the other slaves watching her carefully, and they seemed to notice her brewing anger, because there was a pleading look in their eyes as if to say, "Don't cause any trouble."

The man walked away as Celes sat up and brushed off the specks of dirt and coal dust, finally being able to take in her surroundings. She sat on the ground with her knees tucked up to her chest, wearing her beautiful Maria gown in this filthy and dreary place. Echoing clangs and shouts from other hallways rang throughout the caves, and she saw scores of people passing by with buckets and armfuls of coal. It was a slow-developing nightmare, and it seemed like everything had begun to close in on her.

"How the hell did he find me? And since when does he have a taste for the arts?" she grumbled.

"Ah, miss… I don't mean to be rude, but you might want to start working. Master Thade is not quite as forgiving as our last overseer, and if any of his lackeys see you sitting around, you're sure to be brutally punished!" said a wiry little man as he scratched away a wall with his pickaxe.

Celes looked to her right to see a pickaxe amongst a pile of dirt along with a large hole in the wall where someone had been digging previously… and she wondered what had become of whomever it was. She quickly stopped herself from thinking too much and grabbed the tool dutifully, beginning to mimic the others in that section of the mines, chipping away at the wall like an obedient little slave.

_Author's Note: Props to Ogro for catching me on something. I lengthened a short part to make it clear that Strago did NOT get the Crystal Tear from Thomas and only harnessed its power by touching it._


	9. Timely Escape

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter IX – Timely Escape**

"Hey! Prima donna! Take those coal buckets to Section 12!" ordered a female sentry.

Celes looked up from her present activity and gave a small scowl before complying with the woman's orders, having absolutely no idea what Section 12 was. She heaved up two heavy buckets and wandered off down the passageway in search of some sort of direction that would lead her to the proper place. As she became more mindful of what was around her, Celes finally realized that areas actually had metal signs stuck to the walls designating specific numbers and letters. For instance, she was currently traveling down Passage D in Section 9, and there was a tunnel ahead that showed Sections 10 – 15 were in that direction.

"Fairly straightforward," she said to herself as she proceeded forward.

Section 12 had to be quite a ways away though, and she figured that these people were given the most ludicrous orders to keep them tired and busy, basically working until their hands and feet bled. As she entered the tunnel, it began to curve down, and she gathered from this that Sections were levels of the mine in tiered format. Celes quickened her steps as she entered Section 10, and she traveled a considerable distance before descending to Section 11, and even further until she was finally in Section 12. Every area of the mine looked exactly the same to her, and she had no idea what she was supposed to do with the dead weight in her hands.

"Ah, you from Section 9?" asked a nearby guard.

"Yes… sir," she said firmly.

"Take these to the atrium. Just follow the railway right," he explained, pointing out a section of track that cut through the hallway in which she stood.

Celes obeyed and made her way along the rails, the perpetual noise of the mine ringing along the path, and the very active atrium came into view, accompanied by the loud shouting of overseers, the clangs of metal, and the screeching of rail carts as they whizzed by on several other tracks. Remembering her last visit to Narshe, she knew that this all was not there before… or was it? Maybe there were some areas of the world that she had actually missed out on. That would be quite a surprise, given the things she had gone through in the past.

"Missy! Over here!" called another female soldier.

Celes swiftly made way towards the woman, who stood next to a large grinding machine. What its purpose other than smashing coal to dust was, she could not figure, but it was probably best to do as ordered for the time being. So, she promptly dumped the buckets of coal onto the machine's conveyer belt.

"Good, now report back to your place."

Celes bowed her head and turned to leave, but she suddenly caught sight of something that made her do a double take.

"No way…" she gasped.

Standing with their backs turned to her were the unmistakable forms of Daryl, Sabin, Relm, Siegfried, and Cyan, all of them chipping away at their designated sections of rock, showing signs of immense fatigue. Their shoulders drooped, their heads were held low, and their arms moved so sluggishly. It almost made her want to cry from the joy of seeing them… and the sadness of witnessing their pain. Celes made sure that the woman guard was occupied with other things before she rushed over to her friends. Siegfried was the first to turn around at the sound of her approach.

"May we help y… M'LADY!" Siegfried cried.

"Celes?!" Sabin choked, dropping his pickaxe.

"Oh guys!" Celes sobbed.

"You're alright!" Daryl exclaimed.

"Miss, it warms my heart to see you!" said Cyan.

"It's like a big family reunion in slave camp!" Relm cheered.

They all shared loving embraces with their returned comrade, Celes and Daryl being moved to silent tears eventually as they reveled in the moment.

"How'd they get you here, girl?" Sabin asked.

"They caught me as Maria…" she replied.

"You did that again?" said Relm.

"The opera house is where I wound up after The Flood."

"Did thou try to escape?" asked Siegfried.

"I tried to stow away a few times on passing ships… but I could never get hidden soon enough, or I was always discovered and brought back. Pirates are very weird," Celes explained.

"They could have done much worse, madam," said Cyan.

"So what's you guys' story?" she asked.

"A long one. We'll have to get together another time though. One of the guards is lookin' kind of suspicious at us," said Daryl as she quickly resumed her duties.

The others followed suit, and Celes quickly turned to leave, only to be headed off by the sudden appearance of Zirgen Thade, looking as grim and intimidating as ever.

"Ah… sorry," she stammered.

"Well, it seems that everyone is enjoying their little sentimental reunions," said Thade.

Upon catching his voice, the others turned slowly, keeping their eyes averted from his gaze as he addressed them.

"We ran into a little trouble with some of your rambunctious allies," he continued.

"What?" Celes said in surprise, the others beginning to listen intently now.

"The others are-" began Cyan.

"Dead. We've killed them all," Zirgen added quickly.

This hit them all like a heavy smack in the face, and a sense of distrust lingered in their momentary silence... while an ominous detection of truth seemed to hover in slowly. Thade had spoken so casually, yet his voice was so convincing.

"You're lying!" Daryl yelled.

"I assure you I am not. The thief, the gambling pilot, the king, the old mage, the mercenary, the yeti, that wild boy, a new friend of theirs… and even the _dog_. All of them dead."

"NO!" Relm cried as she fell to her knees.

Celes quickly rushed to the little girl's side, gently rubbing her back as she trembled nervously, not willing to believe anything

"Makes any further plans of escape rather useless, doesn't it?" he said with a deep chuckle.

"K-killed them?" Celes whimpered, her knees growing weak.

"There's no way…" Sabin muttered.

"Believe me, boy. Lord Geeda and myself saw it with our own eyes… and dealt it with our own hands. Your friends are gone now."

"You are vile beasts!" Siegfried spat, acting as if to step forward boldly.

"They picked the fight, sir. We are not to blame for their brash assault. I would hope that you will not make a similar error."

"They can't be dead," Daryl said shakily.

"THEY ARE! The sooner you accept it, the easier it will be for all of you. Trust me, you will _not_ be leaving this mine."

"Grampa…" Relm whispered.

"Never fear. They died valiantly in battle, as all of you heroes seem to aspire to do. Although, the king began pleading for his life before I took it. He was groveling on the ground at my feet, begging for mercy," Zirgen said, laughing.

Sabin clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes at the man. Edgar Figaro was no groveling coward.

"Poor little brat thought that he would retain the spoils one last time. I guess daddy rewarded him a little too much. Maybe now he has learned to respect-"

Before he could even consider stopping himself, Sabin lunged forward and grabbed Zirgen Thade by the front of his robes, hurling him into the wall with incredible force. The man's body slammed against the rock, a loud and pained gasp escaping his lips as he collapsed on a heap of coal. Pandora's Box had been opened once again as the guards came dashing to his aid, brandishing their weapons. Celes thought quickly and knocked several of them off their feet with Blizra, and as the others came upon them, Sabin's fists went flying all over the place. Cyan and Siegfried began to use their pickaxes as weapons, blocking swift blows from the sword-toting guards. It was absolute chaos in the atrium as the fight began to boil, and the watching slaves hastily cleared away from the madness.

"Blizra!" Celes shouted, directing it at a large woman who was about to slash Daryl.

The woman turned to the spell and raised her sword up high, utilizing the Runic ability to absorb the magic, laughing noisily at Celes' disappointed assault. The former MagiTek general couldn't believe that Geeda was able to imbue his own followers with such a powerful technique, and she broke off into a straight run for the woman, delivering a sufficient flying kick that disarmed her and sent her toppling over a nearby rail cart. She grabbed the sword and began to wreak havoc with the others, taking out Legion soldiers left and right.

"Siegfried! Here!" called Cyan as he relieved two men of their swords, tossing one to his comrade.

The two swordsmen then released their full potential with a flurry of their special sword abilities. Cyan cut through their attackers left and right with his violent Quadra Slice, and Siegfried dazzled and defeated many as he skillfully spun his sword on his hand like a pinwheel, slashing through the masses.

"Aye, sir! I've never seen such skill before!" said Cyan.

"Hah! My handling of the blade doth not compare to thy superior abilities!" Siegfried replied.

"Thunga!"

Siegfried was pummeled into the floor by the magical lightning cast from Zirgen Thade. Almost immediately, other mages began to pour into the chamber, blasting their own magic in every direction, not caring that innocent bystanders were being thrown across the room by the intense fight.

"We've got to make a run for it!" Sabin said, hurling his Air Blade at Zirgen.

"You cannot run!" Thade called, quickly shielding himself from the attack.

Another Air Blade suddenly whipped across his back, sending him face first into the ground after Daryl mimicked Sabin's ability. The two of them shared a knowing look and cleared out many of the approaching soldiers with the same method, opening up a hole just large enough for them to make a break for.

"Go! Go, go, go!" Sabin shouted.

Siegfried led the charge through the Legion after a quick recovery, sweeping his sword across as he passed the bewildered troops. Daryl came next, quickly grabbing Relm from the floor as she sat defenseless, along with a nearby sword for her own use, then came Sabin, Cyan, and Celes in the rear. The mages tried to stop their progress, but Celes and Daryl skillfully combined their efforts to use the Runic skill repeatedly as they dashed through the tunnel leading upwards.

It was a brutal marathon as they weaved through the tunnels, avoiding the Legion as much as possible throughout their escape. It was difficult enough navigating through the mines, and not much easier with guards springing out of nowhere to impede their progress.

"Blizra!" cried Celes again, defeating two sentries at once as they sprinted through Passage C in Section 6.

"It's starting to get chilly in here… I think we're close to open air!" said Daryl as they ascended to Section 5.

As they continued forward, Zirgen Thade suddenly teleported right before them, stopping them all with some sort of invisible wall. He cackled victoriously when they ran headfirst into the barrier, stumbling backwards in recoil.

"Nowhere to run now!" he shouted.

A bucket of coal then came flying through the air, smacking Thade in the back of the head. He tumbled over his feet as coal spilled all over him and the bucket bounced away in the tunnel, the transparent wall disappearing and allowing for the heroes to run past. The defiant attacker was a scrawny man with his pickaxe held defensively, nodding to the group as they passed. He then charged forward with his weapon, accompanied by several other slaves just as the Legion came following, and they clashed against their oppressive masters.

"Would you look at that? They're rebelling with us!" Sabin said excitedly, now leading them through Passage F up to Section 4.

The idea seemed to spread quickly throughout the mines, for when they appeared in Section 4, slaves were already beginning to attack their overseers. While many of them suffered the consequences of being weaker than those controlling them, it bought the team valuable time in their escape, and Sabin led them out to another path along the side of the mountains, once more into the bitter cold of the evening as it slowly transitioned into night.

"Don't let them escape! Damn you!" cried an archer as he narrowly missed Celes when she dashed outside.

The six of them bounded down the dim path straight into the heavy winds and snow. The cold was so much worse than their previous escape, but they fought against it in the hopes for freedom. Unfortunately, their captors were not far behind, and spells soon started raining down after them.

"This way!" called Relm as she jumped over a ledge with a short fall.

They followed suit and found themselves charging through a thick forest bordering Narshe, still in the higher elevations, but nearing the ground quickly as a slope began to form beneath them.

"Start heading east! Er… west! Just go left from here!" said Celes.

Pressing on through the snow, the Legion was soon left far behind, and the group came tearing out of the forest without looking back once.

"Hey! I think that's a castle over there!" Daryl exclaimed.

Obscured by the wind-blown snow, only the tall form of a silvery structure lit by the setting sun could be seen looming in the distance, but they all directed their course towards it in hopes that it was friendly.

"Wait a minute… no! Drop down now!" Cyan ordered, flattening himself in the snow.

Everyone did as he told just as a beam of yellow light fired from the structure, frying the snow behind the team. They looked up to see it moving forward with a slow, but purposeful gait, realizing that this thing was definitely not friendly.

"Oh great! Always another esper out waiting for us!" Relm growled.

A loud screech from the sky turned their attention to the form of Tritoch as it swooped down swiftly, landing right over them with its wings outstretched. It snapped its monstrous beak and fired a blast of fire at them, but they all fled from its attack just in time. Cyan and Siegfried quickly reeled around and lunged for the winged esper, hacking away at its right leg before dodging another burst of fire. Celes ran forward, nearly prepared to cast Blizra, but Daryl stopped her immediately.

"No! Celes! It will absorb it!" she cried.

Celes growled when she realized that Tritoch could not be harmed by any of the three major elemental spells. She ran forward to attack it with her sword, but was stopped when Alexander began firing its holy missiles, the yellow beams raining down from above in a swarm.

"Relm! You have to go hide!" Daryl said as she mimicked another Air Blade from Sabin, directed towards Tritoch as it snapped at the two swordsmen beneath it.

"Where do you expect me to go?!" the little girl replied, pointing out that the only cover available was in the forest closer to Narshe, now a considerable distance away.

Daryl was about to retort when she was cut off by being nailed by Alexander's holy bullets as they bombarded the snow. Relm ran to her aid, and Tritoch glided over to them, leering above with a malicious glare. It prepared to strike, but Sabin came running by and he delivered a well-placed dealing of his Pummel technique right into the esper's stomach. Daryl pulled herself up with what strength remained, and quickly copied his move, dealing the same damage to the creature's leg, before collapsing in the snow again.

"No! Daryl, come on!" Relm cried.

The beast howled in fury as it fired a stream of ice shards at the running fighter, but Sabin was far too quick for it. It was about to give pursuit when Cyan, Siegfried, and Celes all attacked it from behind, dealing deep slashes into its swaying tail. Tritoch screeched in pain and released a large field of electricity around it, knocking the trio off their feet. The monster whirled around and smacked Cyan with its wing, sending him flying across the white terrain. It prepared to crush the other two, but Sabin came to the rescue once again, leaping onto its back and beating it mercilessly with his fists.

"Come miss!" Siegfried shouted, grabbing Celes by the arm and pulling her up with him as they ran to Cyan's aid.

Alexander steadily neared the fight, seeking the small targets that were specks of black against the white background of the snow that had a slightly orange hue from the sun as it descended into the horizon. Without regard to its target, the metal beast locked onto Sabin as Tritoch wriggled around, trying to fling him off. Alexander fired its primary holy laser, missing the man completely and blasting Tritoch's left wing. Sabin quickly let go as the bird-like dragon roared angrily, launching a torrent of lightning bolts at Alexander. The magic hurled into the opposing esper, sending massive surges throughout its metal shell, and low groans sounded from inside it as if it were roaring in equal discomfort.

"Bio!" shouted Celes.

Tritoch ceased its electrical fire when massive green bubbles surrounded its body, exploding as the poisonous magic did its work. It attempted to fly away while the spell dealt a fair amount of damage, but it was thrown to the ground by Alexander's retaliation with its holy beam. The heroes watched as the giant locked its beam on Tritoch, never releasing and working to fry the weakened flyer. Tritoch screamed and squawked as the golden laser burned into it, struggling to rise against its intensity to no avail. After a few moments, its flailing wings suddenly grew still, and its body went limp, leading Alexander to stop its laser.

"Are you kidding me?! Alexander just killed it!" Sabin said in disbelief.

The six of them quickly regrouped, each of them confused as to what just happened.

"Why did it…?" Celes asked.

"I believe it was aiming for Sabin at first and accidentally struck the bird. Tritoch then attacked back, and Alexander probably thought that it was turning against him," said Cyan.

Alexander fired its missile bombardment once again, all of the yellow bolts converging upon their group. They all narrowly escaped as the ground exploded from the attack, snow billowing into the sky. The esper continued its march forward, firing again and again as they dispersed, being at a dim advantage to the towering structure.

"Thunga!" Celes shouted, hoping that Alexander would retain a weakness to electricity.

Unfortunately, the spell did not come, and she was very nearly struck by a falling holy missile.

"We have to run back the other way!" Daryl said, being supported by Sabin as he trudged around the snow as fast as he could to avoid the rain of holy magic.

"But we will be back in the hands of the Legion! Either way, we will be destroyed!" Cyan replied.

"There must be a way to avoid this entirely!" said Siegfried as he rolled across the snow to dodge Alexander's attacks.

A loud buzz then sounded from a distance. They looked around in confusion until a thin beam of green light came from the south, slamming into Alexander's side and denting its metal body slightly. This was followed by two missiles that exploded on the esper's 'face' and made it stumble backwards. The team looked to the nearby ocean to see a small shape coming into full view at a quick pace, and their stomachs flipped when a strange flying vehicle came gliding onto the snow, landing softly upon thick metal spikes that extended from its bottom.

It was a sleek, bronze-colored vessel that seemed almost like an airship, but was completely different. It was composed of a long, tapered nose, blade-like angled wings, and very high-tech engines that hummed with life in the stern of the aircraft. It also held a thin laser cannon that went out just under the nose, and four missile launchers along the wings (two on each side). It was an impressive jet, slightly larger but much thinner than traditional airships, but it spoke volumes about the future of air travel.

"What the hell is this?!" said Sabin, preparing for a fight.

"Look, it's the imperial logo!" Celes said with joy.

On the side of the jet, a hatch opened and a ramp deployed beneath it, revealing the way inside. From the open doorway came an imperial medicine woman, who beckoned for them enthusiastically.

"Come on, come on! Your friends are waiting!" she called, waving her arms

The whole group ran forward to the hatch and all tried to leap in at once, creating a bit of a squeeze. When they had finally collapsed into the ship, the woman pressed a red button on the wall that made a soft buzzing sound. Then the ship gave a slight tremor as it began to ascend back into the sky, Alexander attempting to shoot it down this time, but with no such luck due to a powerful magical shield surrounding the aircraft. The heroes stumbled around a bit as the engines blasted them off, and they were out of sight from Narshe in seconds.

"You said our friends are waiting?" Daryl asked curiously.

The woman replied with a simple smile and a nod.

_Author's Note: Merry Christmas, faithful readers._


	10. Friends

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter X – Friends**

The escapees ran through a long passage towards the cockpit. Just as the door opened, they all leapt in with loud cheers. Daryl tackled Setzer energetically, both sharing very enthusiastic kisses at their reunion. The others proceeded to embrace and cry out in joy at this happy moment. Umaro even found it in him to grab Cyan, Siegfried, and Sabin all at once and give them a tight, suffocating squeeze.

"Mr. Thou!"

"Bro!"

"Grampa!"

"Oh little Relm!"

"Clyde!"

"Interceptor!"

When the imperial pilot began to look around uncomfortably, they all decided it was best to calm their excitement, and the noise diminished to a dull roar of sorts.

"Oh, it is so great to see you guys!" Edgar cried.

"Looks like you held together Gramps!" Relm said as she began to tear up.

"Hey guys, I want you to meet my friend Malain," said Clyde, gesturing to Malain as he stood awkwardly to the side.

"Greetings to all of you," he said with a small wave.

"Hey Sabin, you know this guy was taught by Duncan?" said Edgar.

"Woah, seriously?! Oh man, what style of his did you use?"

Sabin immediately became interested in the new fighter, engaging in a very rapid conversation with him about their common master.

"Hey, is this all who's here?" Daryl asked, still clinging tightly to Setzer.

"Well, Locke's in the cargo hold of the ship checking something out," Clyde explained, giving a very knowing look to Celes, who seemed to have the breath taken right out of her.

Meanwhile, Locke fumbled around inside one of the metal crates labeled with the imperial insignia, hoping to find some sort of armaments to utilize over their second-work swords. He hadn't really paid attention to the ship's course, not even noticing their brief stop and their abrupt launch into the sky… not to mention the turbulent deflection of Alexander's holy laser outside.

"Gah, you'd think my skills would give me some insight as to where the good stuff would be!" he grumbled.

He paid no heed when he heard the metal door slide open behind him, figuring it was one of the soldiers coming to find something. But as his hands dug deeper into the box, a very relaxing presence seemed to flow into the room, and he felt a hand touch his back softly, the fingers trembling. He slowly stopped his digging and turned to see Celes' watering eyes and her beautiful smile to greet him. There was a pause as he straightened up and simply gazed into her eyes, a million emotions flooding into him at once. Not a word was said, and she seemed to collapse into his arms, wrapping around his torso firmly, but not too tight.

"H-hey y-you… doing alright?" Locke stuttered, placing his cheek against her soft, snow-flaked hair, loving that familiar scent as it met his senses.

"Yeah…" she whispered as they continued to embrace, standing in near silence in the cargo hold.

They certainly did not need exaggerated excitement to express their feelings at the moment.

_**Later**_

"Alright guys… those of us fortunate not to be enslaved have voted to check on Owzer, who's been using his house as a shelter since The Flood," said Locke as the group convened in a small chamber specifically designed for meetings like this.

"We see big man! Ugah!" Umaro cheered.

"Yes Umaro… big man," Locke replied.

"I'm game for that!" said Daryl.

"'Tis a fine opportunity to recover more allies," Cyan added.

"Alright, now that we're agreed on that… we need to start getting a game plan together. We're going to have to pull all the stops out on this and make Thomas Geeda our new Kefka," said Edgar.

"Alright! We're going to assault the fortress?!" Sabin asked excitedly.

"Woo! We salt! Salty fortress yum!" chanted Gau as he danced around and clapped his hands.

"Not so swiftly," said Clyde.

Gau quickly stopped and instead opted to roll around on the floor.

"If dis Thomas Geeda is half de man I saw today… we will need an army to help us," said Malain.

"Trust me, we're going to get an army," said Setzer.

"Mm, I do anticipate a great battle," said Siegfried, standing quietly in the corner of the room, messing with his dirty and unkempt hair.

"Is Lord Valkin prepared for something like this? Wait… is Lord Valkin still in power?" asked Celes, being fairly shut off even as a renowned actress, given her many failed attempts at escaping.

"Yeah, Valkin is fine, and the imperials have been developing at a good pace since the disaster," Setzer replied.

"Oh yeah! Our good ol' boy Setzer is Captain Gabbiani now!" said Locke.

"Ahahaha!_Captain_ Gabbiani?!" Relm cried, almost dying of laughter.

"Now dear, let's not make fun of-" Strago started.

"That's awesome!" Sabin exclaimed.

"Gee Locke… thanks for opening that up," said the captain, holding his head in annoyance.

"Always glad to be of service… Captain."

A soft buzz sounded overhead, and a voice came from a speaker in the ceiling.

"_Captain Gabbiani, we have arrived in Jidoor"_

"Yeah! Let's go!" Relm declared.

Outside in the approaching darkness of night, the jet slowed down considerably as it descended over the city. Very little remained of the once brimming town of artistry, and the only place to land was the water itself, right next to a dingy harbor that was built at the foot of the steps to Owzer's large mansion, which was oddly in perfect condition.

People peered out from the docks and through the brightly lit windows of the great house as the aircraft slowly dropped to the water, sitting on the surface with the buoyancy of any normal sea ship. They all continued watch curiously as the hatch on the side revealed itself and a ramp stretched out onto the wooden pier. Their eyes then became fixated on a team of very weathered individuals, a handful of which were covered in dark filth, while they appeared from the strange air vehicle and marched straight towards the house. They grew wary when they noticed some of the team armed with weapons.

"Hold there, strangers! Be you of the empire?" asked a man dressed in a maroon suit.

"I am Captain Setzer Gabbiani of Lord Valkin's air forces," Setzer replied, saluting the man.

"What is your business here in Jidoor? Do you seek refuge or business?" the man asked.

"We're here to see an old friend," Clyde added.

"Oh my! Sir Clyde! Friends! Is it really you?!" called the excited voice of Owzer as he stepped out of his house, looking healthier than ever even as he hobbled towards them with a bright gold cane for support.

"Sir Owzer!" Clyde exclaimed, running forward to greet the robust man, his very first true and permanent companion on his long journey after Kefka.

The others greeted him warmly, and exchanged much calmer pleasantries than those aboard the jet.

"Pleasure to be meetin' you, sir. Clyde here has said many good tings about you, and I do like your fine house," said Malain as the two shook hands.

"Why, thank you my boy! Clyde here saved my skin more than once! Goodness, I'd have to say all of these fine individuals have!"

"Hey, don't you forget how you distracted Bahamut from blasting us to smithereens," said Locke, putting his arm playfully around Owzer.

"Ah… sir?" said the man in maroon.

"Oh, Michael, you needn't bother these fellows. They are friends of mine, and I will personally take care of them. But, you may certainly see if our imperial allies on that peculiar vessel need assistance," said Owzer, receiving a dutiful nod from the man.

"Speaking of which, how has everyone been since the Flood? Oh, well let's discuss it inside, shall we? I daresay, Captain Gabbiani, your ship style has changed a bit?" continuing to ramble on with questions as he retreated for his home.

"Heh…" Setzer muttered, scratching his head.

"Gosh… and to think you used to be known as 'Setzer, the womanizing pilot who loved to make an entrance'! What a promotion!" said Celes, nudging him playfully as they were led toward the house.

"Watch out Celes… he might make you do push-ups!" Locke whispered.

"I thought _I_ was the womanizer..." said Edgar in a last minute thought.

_**Meanwhile**_

Thomas Geeda sat at the desk in his personal study, his forearms resting on the arms of the chair while he stared blankly at the flat plane of wood covered with various scrolls and booklets, all of which he considered useless documents. Diplomacy was not his business, and requests for his mercy came in nearly every day now… and there was little possibility of him changing his tyrannical routine. If he showed mercy, the world would think him soft… and that could not be. He was suddenly broken from his meditation by a knock at the door.

"Enter," he commanded.

The great doors opened, and Zirgen Thade stepped quietly into the room, shutting the door behind him. When Thomas caught sight of him, he stood from his chair and held his hands behind his back in his way of proper attentiveness, feet shoulder-width apart and chin up as he addressed his subordinate.

"Let me guess… the self-proclaimed heroes' escape from our _inescapable_ slave camp is not the full extent of our present issues?" said Geeda calmly.

"Yes sir," Thade replied, stroking his beard with at troublesome face.

"Report," Thomas said more sternly.

"Lord Geeda… the mages are trying the best they can, and we've been working for a good length of time. But, we've heard nothing of the Chancellor in Thamasa, and we've made very little progress in discovering the-"

"DAMMIT, Zirgen!" Tom growled, slapping the desk furiously.

"I don't think you understand how much power I expended in bringing those espers back AND drawing magic into this world once again! If you don't find that gate, all of that effort will be for nothing! So… I implore you to work harder, and push those mages further until that damn thing is found!" Geeda shouted.

"Y-yes Lord," Zirgen said before exiting the room quickly.

Thomas stood there seething, clutching his fists tightly before relaxing once again, taking a few deep breaths.

"I sought you out for the ultimate power, and you have strengthened me well… yet you have failed to deliver me what I desire most," he said as he pulled up the Crystal Tear, gazing into its electric blue glow.

"Devastating the world was one thing… ruling it was something else, but it seems that assimilating it will be considerably more difficult than both," Tom mused as he sat down once again, continuing to stare at his precious blue treasure.

_**Later**_

"All that adventure, and I missed it! Oh, I'm rather jealous!" said Owzer as the team sat in his familiar kitchen, the party from Narshe devouring all the food they could.

"You certainly have changed Sir Owzer. When I first met you… well, let's just say you weren't the bravest of men," said Clyde.

"War changes a man, sonny… or so I hear," Owzer replied with a big smile.

"Well, we've been through a lot, and nothing has stopped us yet," said Edgar.

"Perseverance is what we are best at!" Strago proclaimed, raising his fist.

"Luck is part of that too," Setzer added.

"Yeah… luck and damn good timing I'd say," said Locke.

"Don't forget de power of teamwork. From what I have observed, you all seem to work together very well," Malain noted.

"Heh, that's something ol' master Duncan used to stress… always lend a partner a helping hand and they'll do the same for you," said Sabin.

"I swear, you two are the love children of that old coot!"

"Hey, you watch it kid!"

"Hah! Come on meathead, let's go!"

"Oh my… at least don't start throwing food at each other. Some of the refugees have less than desirable eating habits as is," groaned Owzer as Sabin tried to grab for Relm, the little girl weaving through his legs while the others watched in amusement.

When everyone had finally filled their stomachs to their hearts' content, it was time for some well-deserved rest in actual beds. It came a pleasant surprise to all as they lay upon the soft mattresses and snuggled under the warm covers. Granted, Umaro and Interceptor did not have the luxury of beds, but were offered a place by Owzer's repaired personal room with a brand new fireplace that was burning very warmly. Both fell asleep almost instantly upon coming in contact with the heat. Gau, never having appreciated conventional sleep, joined them minutes later.

"Welp, you have a g'night Gramps!" said Relm as she bounced onto her bed and wrapped herself in the covers.

"Mm, you too my dear," he mumbled, already half asleep.

"I cannot thank you enough for your hospitality," said Malain as he crawled into his bed, being in the same room as Clyde and Edgar.

"Ah, don't mention it. I've been taking care of people who are much worse off, but I could never deny my friends and their allies a place to stay," said Owzer as he retired from the room.

"Let's get some good sleep now… I'll bet we have a big day tomorrow!" said Edgar.

"Ow! Celes, that's my leg!" came Locke's yell from another room, earning some stifled laughter from his friends.

_**Morning**_

"Heey Interceptor! C'mere boy!"

"Now Relm, don't feed the dog your whole meal!"

"Uwaoo! Bacon?! Bacon, bacon, bacon, bacon!!"

"Gau, chill! You'll get some in a-"

"BACON!"

"Excuse me…"

"OW! JEEZ! HERE, TAKE SOME BACON!"

"I say, this lemonade is quite delicious!"

"Edgar, slow down! You're going to choke!"

"I'll bet you five pieces-"

"Setzer! Don't gamble!"

"Me? Gamble? Why Celes, I'm offended!"

"Ah,_excuse me_…"

"Heeey… where's my last piece of toast?"

"You probably fed it to the dog…"

"I've never had such a wonderful breakfast."

"Keep your eyes of my plate, Locke!"

"Excuse me!"

"Hey! Guys, listen up!" called Locke, finally hearing the female messenger as she entered the kitchen, swiping a bite of egg from Celes' plate.

"There's some sort of monster on your ship outside…" she muttered.

There was a pause as they all looked at each other, and all of them immediately bolted from the room and made way to Owzer's front door, Locke throwing it open forcefully as they dashed outside, where not a soul was to be found.

"What the… hey, what is that?!" said Sabin.

Perched upon their jet was a terrifying creature. It was a built, humanoid demon with great bat-like wings and red and black skin, possessing slender fingers and toes and sporting great horns on its head. It gave them a sharp-toothed smile as they appeared outside in the morning light.

"You know, if I didn't know any better… I'd say we've got ourselves an esper here!" said Locke as he pulled out a knife he grabbed from the kitchen while the others stood unarmed.

The demon growled and threw its hand towards them, releasing a large gray orb that looked suspiciously like a gravity spell. They found out soon enough when the sphere expanded itself around them, weighing their bodies down to the ground and absorbing a massive amount of energy from them before dissipating, leaving them heavily weakened as they lay defenseless.

"I can't… move!" said Setzer as he struggled to pull himself up.

The creature began to float towards them, when a cannonball came rocketing into its back, throwing it straight into the wall of Owzer's house. It roared in pain as it slammed into the brick, leaving a large imprint of its body when it whirled around to face a small ship coming towards the mansion.

"Pirates?" Clyde wondered, noticing the untidy style of the vessel was nothing like the Empire or the Legion.

The demon was about to call upon more magic to battle this new foe until a voice cried out.

"Flare!"

The powerful spell hammered the esper and sent it into an epileptic, twitching fit before it soared into the sky and disappeared from sight as the pirate ship pulled into harbor next to their untouched jet. They gave a unanimous sight of relief when they could move again, and eagerly stood at this victorious moment.

"Well that was quick!" said Sabin.

"Yes indeed. Who is the noble caster? Twas you, Miss Celes?" asked Cyan.

"Me? I couldn't even talk, let alone move my arms," she replied.

"Wasn't me either," said Strago.

"Avast, fellows!" called a man from the new ship dressed in a bright assortment of clothing with a large, feathered hat perched on his head.

The door behind the heroes quickly opened, and Owzer's herald Michael came running out to greet the pirates, noticing that the beast had disappeared.

"Greetings sailor, and welcome to what is left of Jidoor, now a refuge for those in need. State your allegiance!" he declared while the others approached.

"Aye, we have no true allegiance… but we aren't with that blood-sucking Thomas Geeda if that's what you want to know. We're actually here to deliver this-"

"Oh my goodness, it _is_ you!" cried a familiar voice.

The team looked around in confusion until Terra Branford, decked out in pirate garb complete with a red bandana covering her long green hair, came running from the ship and onto shore, surprising all of them. Michael and the sailor took their conversation to the side to allow for the reunion.

"TERRA!" exclaimed several of them at once.

Edgar, Locke, and Sabin ran forward and gave her a huge group hug, which she returned as best she could. Then came Celes and Daryl, and soon everyone was upon her with equal relief and shock at her arrival… except for Clyde and Malain who stayed closer to the house. Malain simply watched out of his not being acquainted with her, but Clyde was frozen stiff.

He felt fine now that the esper was gone and its magic had worn off, but for some reason he could not bring himself to put one foot in front of the other and approach one of his many long lost friends. Sure, he wasn't quite so enthusiastic even when the others had come aboard their new airship, but this was just unreal to him. What was keeping him from running forward and giving Terra a nice, tight hug… or maybe even a kiss? Wait, did he just think that? A kiss? No, this was not the time for those kind of feelings. Yes, he liked her a lot, but he cared for her just as much as the next girl right? She was just a close friend like everyone else here, and certainly nothing more. Well, there was that night in Valorin on the roof… and then the moment just outside the Ancient Castle when he took her hand and led her to safety. That was nothing though, just a moment of him looking out for one of his _friends_.

"Clyde, are you…?" said Celes, noticing that both Clyde and Terra had begun to stare at each other… both possessing a strange sort of longing in their eyes.

Terra had not seen those amazing eyes in a long time… yet it felt like they had been stuck on her mind ever since The Flood began. He was the first person she thought of when she found herself stranded, and every day since then she kept thinking of him. She wanted to see him and wanted to be in his presence, because he had that special way of calming her and making her feel so wonderful. Having endured the destruction of the world once, she knew that everyone was alive, and somehow she knew that Clyde was going to find her again… or at least, she was going to find him. But now, in this moment of discovery, she couldn't move. She was frozen with… fear? Apprehension? Maybe not, but she was certainly frozen with something.

Malain carefully leaned forward and whispered to Clyde, "It don't take a genius to see dat dis is de Terra you spoke of once… and do you remember what you said you'd do if you saw her again?"

Clyde searched back into his memory for a second before recalling that day, not long before he and Malain escaped captivity.

"_I swear Malain… I would sacrifice so much just to see her again, or even just to know that she's somewhere in good hands. I think that if we ever encountered each other again, I would just run up and give her a nice long hug, holding her forever to make sure she was real,"_he said back then.

This was the motivation he needed, and he immediately moved forward with a very purposeful stride. He approached her quickly, and her face was searching his for some sign of his intentions while she remained in her place. Then, everything came together at once, and he simply reached down and put his arms around her torso, leaning his head on her shoulder. She reacted by putting her arms around his neck and resting her own head against his chest, listening as his heart pounded furiously from his nerves.

"I… I've missed you Clyde," she muttered.

"Me too," he replied, continuing to hold her while their friends watched in wonder.

_Author's Note: First chapter of the New Year! Hoo-rah! Now, I have a little notice that I'd like for you readers to pay special heed to. If, by any chance you figure something out or discover some hidden truth within this tale, I beg of you… keep it to yourself, please! I would hate to be the reader of a story and see a comment with a theory about who this is or what this does, because it would spoil my own imaginative insight and I definitely wouldn't enjoy the story as much. I'd like to keep a few people in suspense, although I know there are definitely some keen ones out there who have picked up on certain things. But, just keep it to yourself and wait for the moment of truth. If you were right, proudly proclaim your aptitude and I will commend you on such swell investigation! Enjoy!_


	11. The Odyssey Begins

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XI – The Odyssey Begins**

"I cannot thank you enough for keeping her in good health," said Clyde to the colorful pirate captain.

"Well, bein' pirates we certainly know some good treasure when we see it. Glad to be of assistance in returning her to the right people," the captain replied.

"Will you require lodging for the day… er, matey?" said Michael the servant.

The pirates on the ship looked at him curiously while he gave them a sheepish smile.

"So you can still use magic, Terra?" asked Celes to the side.

"Only a little. The most I've been able to conjure up is Flare, Cure, and Fire," she explained.

"Is it still kind of sporadic in use?" said Strago.

"No, it actually comes pretty regularly now."

"Seriously?!"

"That might be something to look into," the old mage mused.

"Ok, can we go back inside now? I didn't even finish breakfast!" cried Relm.

_**Later**_

"Well, that certainly must have been rather exciting!" said Owzer after being informed of the morning's sudden, but ultimately joyous events.

"Oh yeah, you know it. I think my leg is cramping a bit from that esper still," said Setzer, giving his foot a shake as they all sat in one of Owzer's many dens, one of few that was devoid of those seeking shelter.

"Well, it's like we're all reunited now… minus our little friend Mog," Sabin noted.

"I did inform you of that moment when I overheard a stranger speaking of a moogle in the mountains, yes?" asked Siegfried.

"Oooh yeah…" Sabin said with a dawning realization.

"In South Figaro?" said Daryl.

"We should definitely check that place out next anyway… though I think it's still under Legion occupation," Edgar thought aloud.

"We'll just have to go kick some ass then, won't we?" Sabin laughed.

"And I will most certainly be joining you for this. But for now, let's enjoy some peace while we still can, yes?" Owzer said with a smile.

"I'm with you there Owzer," Locke replied with Celes snuggled in his lap.

"Well certainly 'tis a fine morning to enjoy some exercise outdoors. Would anyone care to join me on the docks?" asked Cyan as he prepared to leave.

"Amen to that!" Sabin said excitedly.

"I be needin' some exercise me self," said Malain, following the two of them out.

"Me go exercise! Run, run, run!" Gau called as he scampered out with them.

"Ugah! Me too!" Umaro grunted as he followed.

"Gah, they're going to collapse the pier somehow… I just know it," said Edgar as he hung his head low.

"They're not _that_ rough Edgar," said Terra, patting him lightly on the head.

"So I've been thinking about something," Celes spoke up.

"Uh-oh guys… Celes has been thinking!" Locke joked, earning him a heavy elbow to the ribs.

"Haha… looks like the general hasn't quite forgotten her training," Setzer chuckled, noting Locke's visibly pained expression.

"What do you think Thomas wants now? I mean, he's done the same thing that Kefka did… basically ruined the world with newly discovered power and taken control with an iron fist right after. The only difference here is just that he's got his own army to maintain that. But we all know that Tom Geeda absolutely hates Kefka, so there's no way his plans stop here. What else is he thinking of doing?"

"I've been considering that lately too. He has a new friend named Zirgen Thade, who seems to have the ability to form dreams in someone's head, as he's been doing to me ever since Kefka's defeat," said Clyde.

"Is he planning something with you?" Terra asked worriedly.

"I don't think his intentions are specifically on us. He's just been trying to scare me," Clyde replied with a comforting smile.

"Hah, nothing seems to scare you, my boy!" said Strago, patting Clyde on the shoulder.

"Well, what's the deal with the espers? I mean, he basically just resurrects them as his guard dogs and sends them out to do his dirty work with not much of a bother when they die," said Setzer.

"How was he able to bring them back in the first place? M-my… father said that magic disappeared from this world, and the espers no longer existed here," Terra explained.

"There's definitely more to that creep than meets the eye. Learned that the hard way when he tried to trick me into funding his new city," said Edgar.

"Hey, we're gonna kick his ass anyway? Right?!" Relm declared.

Clyde couldn't help but smile at Relm's perpetual optimism. She certainly was a blessing, even if slightly obnoxious sometimes. Maybe… just maybe if her mother had survived, maybe things would somehow be all right. In truth, because he spent so much time worrying about Terra, he never really pondered Relm's well-being in the past month. Obviously he thought about all of his friends while they were apart, but should he have focused his attention more exclusively on his own daughter? Did it make him a bad father for not doing so?

Hell, he hadn't really been much of a father in the first place. Yes, he looked out for her like everyone else. Yes, he cared for her like everyone else. But was he really there as a parent? Well, she didn't even know of their relation. Maybe that's what held him back… and maybe it was the fear of failure as a parent in the first place. Maybe he had not even forgotten about her at all and just chose to put it in the back of his memory. He basically just left her in Thamasa, for reasons that seemed right at the time, but now felt pretty low at this point. What was he supposed to do now?! Maybe Strago could help him out. He had raised her from infancy and seemed to have a pretty good hold on her restless spirit. Oh, why did life have to be so confusing at this time of world conflict?

"Clyde, what are you thinking about?" asked Terra, watching him as he was deep in thought.

"Huh? Oh… I, ah… er… just kind of running through some of the things we've been through. Maybe we've missed something about Thomas that's important," he covered.

"I do recall Thomas speaking of a Chancellor being present in Thamasa at this time, which was why Zirgen Thade was at the mines in the first place," said Siegfried.

"Yes, he said that while we were waiting in ambush…" Celes recalled.

"Perhaps he knew you were there and meant to mislead you?" suggested Owzer.

"No, he was genuinely surprised when we attacked him," she replied.

"You, Sabin, and Siegfried, eh? Oh Celes, you're so brave!" Locke said with a laugh, hugging her tightly around the waist.

"Oh, why thank you dear… of course, you did try to outrun a Legion warship. I don't think I would even have the guts for that," she giggled, stroking his cheek.

"You're making me blush!"

"Don't forget that time you saved me in Kefka's tower," she said as they began to rub their noses together cutely.

"Oh come on guys… get a freakin' room!" Setzer moaned.

"Doesn't that look like fun though, Setzer?" said Daryl, grinning.

"We'll discuss Geeda later. You lovebirds are going to make me sick!" said Edgar as he got up from his seat quickly to leave.

"Blech, me too!" Relm agreed.

"Clyde, Terra… you set a good example for these folks, alright?" Edgar said with a smile before leaving the room, earning a few chuckles from the others, and some very deep blushing from Clyde and Terra.

"Well, I need to go tend to my current business. You fellows enjoy yourselves here! Come and get me whenever we are to leave for South Figaro," said Owzer as he heaved himself from his chair and carefully hobbled out on his cane.

Clyde, still feeling fairly awkward as Locke and Celes continued to cuddle, and Setzer and Daryl were getting to that point, stood rather quickly and moved hastily towards the door. He had just come into the hallway when Terra appeared right behind him.

"H-hey Clyde," she stammered.

"Oh, hey there…"

"Y-ye wanna go talk somewhere? I've been dying to know what's been happening with you guys."

"Ye?" Clyde wondered with a smirk.

"Oh sorry… those pirates made a bit of an impression on me," she said while turning bright red in the face again.

"No need to be sorry. Where do you want to go?"

"Er… I don't know. Think we could find a way to the roof?"

She gave him a challenging smile.

Not more than a few minutes later, Clyde had successfully heaved himself onto Owzer's high rooftop, and was carefully assisting Terra on board as well. They finally made themselves comfortable with their feet dangling over the edge, sitting just like they were in Valorin not too long ago… although it seemed like ages to both of them.

"Well, this brings back memories," he muttered, looking up into the brightly lit blue sky.

"Mm, yes it does," she replied smiling, watching him as he tried to avert his attention from her, which she found kind of cute given his obvious apprehension when he was around her.

"So… what to talk about?"

"You said you got caught by pirates too, didn't you? What was that like for you?" she asked.

"That was terrible. But I made a good friend in Malain. He was really helpful in keeping me alive for the past month."

"I'll have to thank him then."

Clyde turned to her and flashed a smile, becoming much more at ease with her relaxed attitude to help him. Soon, they both became animated with stories of their exploits on their respective sea travels. Clyde grew very impressed at what Terra had put herself through just to gain her fellow buccaneers' respect, and she even showed him the small tattoo of a sun on her shoulder, which was a sort of binding alliance between many of the world's sea-farers. They continued talking for what seemed like forever, but was really only a couple of hours. Honestly, Clyde had never felt so casual with someone before. It was like the two of them were old friends meeting after years of adventure and recounting their worldwide exploits.

"Hey! You guys! We're going to South Figaro!" Sabin called from below, standing on the docks as the jet became alive with power and their imperial friends started to board.

"Aw… I guess the fun's over now," Terra pouted.

"Well, saving the world one town at a time is fun in its own right isn't it?" said Clyde as he carefully let himself down on the small balcony below, assisting Terra afterwards.

Moments later, everyone was reunited on the sleek, modernized airship, where Owzer gained a considerable fascination by this new technology.

"How long have they been developing this?" he gasped, fiddling around with small compartments in the entryway.

"Many, many years. Now, if you will excuse me… I have to take my rightful place in the _Captain's Chair_," Setzer said proudly, strutting off towards the cockpit.

"It's good to know your boyfriend doesn't let things get to his head easily," said Sabin to Daryl.

"Oh yeah… of course not. I mean it's not like he used to have women crawling all over his ship back in the day. I should tell you guys the 'Veronica story' some time," she said with a giggle.

"All ears here!" Locke declared.

All of them were suddenly thrown to the floor when the jet launched straight upward and rocketed into the sky, hurling a few of them against the back wall of the entrance.

"Might it be too much to ask that he take us off tamer?" Cyan groaned as he picked himself up.

The rush of the take-off subsided, and all became stable once more with the very audible cheers of Setzer from the cockpit sounding throughout the ship:

"_Oh man this thing handles great!"_

"_Captain, watch the temperature meter please! We don't want to overheat the engines!"_

"_Can this thing do stunts?"_

"_Oh lord… don't put too much pressure on the control stick!"_

"I'm gonna go check things out… make sure we're going to survive this trip," said Daryl, heading towards the cockpit through the sensor-operated sliding doors.

"Well, it looks like we're getting out into the world again!" said Edgar, toting a brand new sword in his hand.

"Yeah, and we've got to be prepared for anything," Locke replied, following Daryl to the cockpit.

The trip was very short, given the incredible speed of their jet, and they were soon upon the very small remains of the city. Most of the old buildings were visibly submerged by water, and the structures that rose well above current sea level were bordered by metal walkways and were fixed up to accommodate this change of environment. Given this alteration, there was no clutter of citizens out and about, and only Legion soldiers marched along the paths that hugged close to the walls. Granted, there were few citizens left after most had moved to the nearby mountains for shelter, but the town still retained quite a business, as seen by the very active harbor on the east side.

"Mm, looks like our friends have spotted us," said Clyde as he watched from the cockpit window, noticing the soldiers below pointing to the approaching aircraft.

"I think we should give them a little treat then. I'm sure they've been MISSING US!" Setzer said as he pressed the small green button in the middle of the control stick, firing the ship's main laser cannon and frying several of the sentries below.

He carefully brought the jet down into the water, stopping just next to a long stretch of bare walkway. The side hatch opened immediately, and Locke made the first charge out, followed by Cyan and Siegfried with their swords at the ready. The enemy troops came rounding the corners of the nearby building on both sides, firing their magic spells and projectile weapons. Locke ran straight for one side and ducked under all that came flying for him, cutting two men down from the legs with his blade.

"Fire!" Terra called, blasting five soldiers at once with the weakest flame spell, containing enough strength to knock them over the edge and into the water.

Malain sent a mage flying straight into the air with a powerful upward kick before a second spinning kick hurled the man towards his comrades and pushed them all back. As they recovered, Sabin struck them all with his Air Blade Blitz.

"Nice work Malain!"

"You too mon!"

It was unbelievable chaos as the heroes tore through the ranks of Legion fighters on the fairly thin paths. Celes was using Runic almost every second it seemed, with Daryl doing just the same to keep their friends protected from the attacking magic spells. Umaro was brutally forcing his way through the Legion, shoving them into the adjacent buildings to the walkways. Cyan employed his Quadra Slice technique while Siegfried performed his own Spinning Blade trick, both with successful results.

"Argh! It's his majesty, Cyan! Kill him!"

"You traitorous wretch!" the warrior growled, elbowing one of his former heralds into the water.

Edgar hacked across the enemy with his Chainsaw, Clyde threw brand new shurikens left and right while Interceptor took care of the rest, Strago dished out what Blue Magic he could, Relm sketched magic-users again and again with a new paintbrush, Gau hurled Rage abilities everywhere.

"Where is the master's protection?!" cried a swordsman before being blasted by Terra's Flare.

The side of one of the structures erupted as Strago called upon his Quasar attack, destroying a whole section of walkway.

"Whoops!" the old man wheezed with a small chuckle.

The madness persisted for several minutes until the Legion finally gave in and began to retreat from South Figaro, speeding away on what boats they could reach while their other vessels were ruined by Setzer's shooting. Those ships not part of the Legion had departed just after the lightning-fast battle had begun. Victory was quick, and injuries were fairly minimal, but nothing that a simple Cure spell could not heal. They all cheered in their triumph, and welcomed the citizens as they came out of the safety of the buildings, being pleasantly surprised that their oppressive captors had fled.

"The Legion is gone!"

"Oh, King Figaro is here! He has saved us!"

"Majesty! We thought you had fled!"

"We are free men at last!"

"Hey! Women too!"

"Praise you all for your timely rescue!"

"Bless the New Empire!"

Even with a very worn and damaged town, the civilians continued to celebrate this moment of redemption. Though there were those that remained loyal to the crown and resisted the Legion, none would have ever organized such a powerful revolt, and they were very visibly thankful of this grace.

"Looks like you're in the spotlight again, brother!" Sabin said with a nudge.

"Too bad half the people we're fighting against used to be under my command…" the king said regretfully.

"I understand your dilemma, friend," said Cyan as he and Siegfried rejoined the team.

"King Figaro, we have been freed at your hand and are now under your rightful service once more. What do you wish of us?" asked an elderly woman.

"Er… listen to me, good people of South Figaro!" Edgar called, his friends standing beside him.

"Shh! His majesty speaks!" boomed a large peasant man.

"I wish for you to swear your allegiance to the New Empire and the command of Grand Emperor, Lord Valkin! He is our greatest ally now, and they could use your help in battling against Thomas Geeda's Legion of the People!"

"As you wish, King!"

"Yes! Down with the Legion!"

"Bow to Lord Valkin! We serve him gratefully!"

The crowd was very impressionable, and they all seemed to put their full support behind the Empire immediately, ironically just as quickly as their predecessors had given in to Thomas Geeda. The imperial escort onboard the airship began to radio in for reinforcements to the town for permanent protection while reconstruction commenced immediately.

"King Figaro, you can leave these people in our hands now. We will care for them well," said one of the imperial troops.

"Carry on then, lads!" Edgar said proudly.

"Are we done here?" Setzer called from the hatch after landing the jet once again.

"I believe so!" Siegfried called, heading towards the vessel with the others.

"Hold up a minute! Have any of you heard about the moogle in the mountains?" Sabin called.

"Oh yes! They say he's been protecting the civilians who fled there recently!"

"Thanks!" Sabin replied before jumping back into the ship.

"To the mountains?" Locke asked.

"You got it!"

They all quickly came aboard, replenishing their energy with the large stock of high potions available and congratulating each other on a job well done.

"I don't think we've pulled an assault that easy since… who knows when?!"

"It was a fine day for battle, I must say."

"My Blue Magic worked, too!"

"Did you see my sketching out there?! It was like, BLAM! Then BOOM! Then KAPOW!"

Their excited chatter continued all the way to the mountains, where they found a wide, flat top to land on very close to human settlement. It seemed that the imperial logo was a welcome sight to those residents of the highlands, because they began to talk to each other very animatedly as the hatch opened.

"Look at that! The Empire is here to save us at last!"

"They can protect us from the monster!"

"We're going to live!"

The heroes stepped out onto land, Setzer being the last one out, and they were rather surprised by the hopeful looks upon the people's faces. Apparently their arrival was quite a blessing, because these citizens had a hint of fear behind their eyes that the group was keen to catch on.

"Is there something wrong here?" Locke asked.

"Aaah! Am I glad to see you guys, K-K-KUPO!" cried the voice of Mog as he came tumbling down the side of one of the nearby slopes.

"Hey, Mog!" Relm called.

"Ah! What is that?!"

A great shadow appeared overhead, and they all looked up to see a muscled, humanoid monster much like Yura, but with brown-colored skin, a leaner body, and wild, violet hair billowing around its head, along with a long scarlet cloth wrapped around its waist. Its great fists were clenched tightly, and it seemed to become very alert when it noticed the weapons on the group. The beast let out a ferocious roar and dove towards them.

"F-father?!" Terra squeaked.


	12. Paternal Peril

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XII – Paternal Peril**

They immediately scattered just before the monstrous Maduin struck the ground, leaving a sizeable crater. He flexed his powerful muscles as he rose from a cloud of dirt, eyes wild with fury.

"Daddy doesn't look too happy!" Edgar said, wielding his sword as he approached the esper.

Maduin growled and he raised his hand, a heavy boulder next to him telekinetically rising with it. The heroes halted their approach and quickly ducked when the huge rock came flying at them, smashing into a nearby mountain slope and shattering to pieces from the impact. The beast leapt from the crater and right in the middle of their formation, pummeling Gau into the ground ferociously. The wild boy cried out from the assault, having no chance to defend himself, and the others ran to his rescue.

"Come on… Pearl!" Celes cried, having said the first thing that came to mind.

There came a pleasant surprise when the three white orbs of Pearl magic descended from the sky and pulled into Maduin, throwing him back a ways with a powerful blast.

"Nice work!" Sabin called, charging for the esper.

Maduin had very quick reflexes. Only a second after being struck by Pearl, he stomped his foot into the earth, sending a snake-like shockwave right for Sabin as he made his approach. The fighter was about to get a face full of dirt and rock, but Cyan snatched him out of the way just in time, letting the shockwave tumble over the cliff edge behind them. Meanwhile, Locke and Edgar closed in on Maduin and began swinging their swords madly. The blades barely nicked his tough skin, and the beast repelled them both with a wide sweep of his hand, knocking the wind out of them completely.

"Oof! Son of a-!" Edgar wheezed.

"Grand Train!" Strago shouted, throwing his hands up high.

Maduin turned and glared at the old man, the spell failing to conjure. Strago cursed himself and ran for cover as the esper telekinetically hurled a stream of rocks in his direction. From behind, Umaro jumped onto Maduin's back, attempting to hook his arms around his throat, but to no avail. Maduin threw himself into one of the nearby slopes, crushing Umaro against the rock wall, and the yeti let go with a pained groan, slumping to the ground. Malain and Siegfried took this moment's grace to their advantage and began to kick and slice the monster rapidly, but Maduin held his arm out to let it absorb the damage before punching the ground at their feet, creating a small rupture that tossed them to the side easily.

"Flare!" said Terra, blasting her esper father with the powerful attack, though it seemed to have little effect.

Maduin grabbed for her and slashed her across the shoulder as she turned to run. Terra stumbled to the ground and frantically crawled away with a long wound along the left side of her back. He moved to pursue her, but Clyde thrust his sword point straight into the esper's leg, inserting a few inches of the steel through his flesh. Maduin roared furiously and elbowed Clyde in the chest. As he fell back, Clyde hastily grabbed his sword and pulled it from Maduin's leg.

Gau crawled from the small depression in the ground into which he had been beaten and flew into one of his Rages. A Giga Volt spell tore down from the sky and hit Maduin directly, and as the esper shook his head to shake of the attack, Mog came bounding forward while twirling around on his toes. He performed the complex dance, and a cluster of heavy rocks fell from the sky onto Maduin, pummeling the esper mercilessly. He quickly threw his arms up to shield him from the raining stones while they hammered against him. Meanwhile, Relm snuck up behind him and quickly Sketched his portrait, summoning a nearby pile of loose rocks and hurling it at him from behind with telekinetic magic. The beast grew irritated at this sudden barrage of attacks and jumped into the air, floating eerily with his arms outstretched.

"Everyone duck!" Setzer shouted.

Bright beams of purple light shot out from Maduin's body, surrounding the area with a heavy blast of energy that partially crumbled and eroded the nearby slopes away, the heroes covering themselves as best they could from the Chaos Wing. The magic soon ceased, and Maduin lunged for the nearby Daryl, tackling her to the ground with his massive body compared to hers. She yelped out and slashed his chest with her sword, barely damaging his tough skin. He let out a deafening roar right in her face, raising his arms with clenched fists as though he meant to pound her into the earth… but Setzer and Celes would have none of that, as the gambler threw his Fixed Dice and Celes called upon another successful Pearl.

The force of both attacks threw Maduin forward, and he tumbled over Daryl straight into a nearby mountain wall. She took her chance to escape, but not before mimicking Celes' Pearl to give a little extra kick. The three of them cleared out when Maduin made his swift recovery and was now charging for them as he floated in the air. He was stopped when Cyan came at him with Quadra Slice, Sabin unleashed Bum Rush, Siegfried pulled the Spinning Blade, and Malain dealt his Lightning Kick all at once.

Maduin roared in discomfort as the blades cut all over him, the fists beat him mercilessly, and the energized kick sent electricity shooting through his body. He swung his arm to the right, knocking Malain aside, then hurled his fist into Sabin's face. Turning around with incredible speed, he jabbed Cyan across the torso, and uppercut Siegfried fiercely. The four of them collapsed to the ground, and Maduin used his telekinesis to lift them up and slam them back into the dirt roughly. When they could no longer move, the esper gave a triumphant, bellowing laugh.

"You freaking asshole!" Relm screamed.

Maduin turned and raised his palm to Relm and Mog as they came running at him. His unseen mental magic threw them backwards and right to the edge of the cliff that they fought near. Edgar ran to them and pulled them away from the vertical drop.

"Alright now! Aqua Breath!" said Strago, jumping for joy when Maduin was hit by the rush of magic bubbles.

The esper's fury was very obviously rising, as he trembled as if about to have a fit. Those who were presently able to fight, which seemed to be a dropping number, quickly rushed him in a last stand to prevent him from going berserk… but it was far too late for that. Maduin threw his hands up into the air, and two parallel streams of purple energy blasted down from the sky and into the ground. The earth beneath all of them then exploded in a massive rupture of the energy, hurling each of them straight into the air. They all landed with masses of dirt and rock falling onto them after the magic had done its work, and Maduin roared victoriously.

"F-father no…" Terra gasped, pulling herself from a heap of rubble right in front of the monster.

Maduin looked at her, and the two made eye contact. He slowly dropped to the ground, no longer levitating as Terra carefully got to her feet while clutching her shoulder, moving very delicately as he suddenly seemed to be controlling his madness… for what reason, she did not know. The two of them stared at each other, and Terra could feel her heart beating from fear coupled with the pain of seeing her father in such a manic and ferocious state. Though she had obviously hardly been around him, there was still that sense of closeness that any child would have to their parent regardless of the strength of the relationship. She began to tear up as she gave Maduin a pleading look, silently begging for him to come to his senses and stop such mindless violence. She knew that he was only a puppet for Thomas Geeda to toy around with, but she also felt that there might be a way to save him. There just had to be a way.

"Terra… don't," Clyde moaned as he pulled himself from a pile of rocks, searching for his dropped sword.

"Father… M-Maduin, it's me. It's Terra, your daughter… the child you and my mother Madonna created. Please remember!" she sobbed, feeling the tears streaking down her face.

Maduin continued to simply watch her, still scowling and glaring with his eyes as he had done the whole battle, but still restraining the fury. His heavy breathing was the only noise present, as everyone had gone completely still while Terra stood bravely before this beast that could easily kill her in a second with her so vulnerable now.

"Please remember… y-you told me about loving someone in this world, right? I know you love me Father… I know that it's really you in there! You're just waiting to break free from Thomas Geeda's evil control! He's a horrible man, and you should not be his little toy!"

Though her father showed no comprehension of what she was saying, retaining the same facial expression, she was sure that he was hearing it. He had to be… her father was once a civilized and caring esper who used his powers for good only. He had to be listening to her, and she must be getting through somehow.

Clyde saw the flash in the beast's eyes, and he knew things were about to go down. He fought against his pain and jumped to his feet, practically leaping the whole way forward as he reached out for Terra. He pulled her into his arms and tackled her off to the side as Maduin launched his fist into the ground, creating a massive hole where his daughter once stood. His drive suddenly rose again, and he gave a challenging bellow. That challenge was dutifully met by Locke and Edgar, who attacked immediately despite the heavy beating they had just sustained. Once again, their weapons did little good, and both were dispatched easily, Locke nearly falling over the edge if not for his quick actions in grabbing hold of a nearby mass of roots protruding from the destroyed ground.

"Locke! Pull yourself up! LOOK OUT MAN!"

Locke watched in terror as Maduin advanced upon him, the esper's feet pounding into the earth. Maduin barred his teeth as he neared, stretching out his great claws to finish off the treasure hunter once and for all. But suddenly, he stopped, following the sound of a slice through flesh. Everyone looked to see Terra with her sword shoved straight through Maduin's back, the point of the blade having exited through his chest. Time seemed to freeze for a second as the esper stopped moving, staring at his wound in wonderment and confusion. The fearsome beast then gave a deep grumble before falling face first into the ground, dead. Terra stood still for a moment, and then dropped to her knees on the ground, eyes wide and looking upon Maduin.

It took a few minutes for the weakened friends to recover, as they were all considerably bruised, battered, and covered in dirt. Terra was still shaking even after Maduin's body dissipated into nothing, and the others left her to herself while she seemed to be coping with destroying her father… despite him not being himself. It wasn't destructively traumatic to her, but it seems like she was just thrown into the arms of her friends, only to be pitched into an inevitable win-or-lose situation with no chance of a draw and no optimal circumstance. She only made her move out of instinct, out of her innate protective nature. Essentially, it was Locke's peril that gave her strength… if she could even call it that. No, she didn't consider her act weak, but it was not especially powerful of her. It was just an impulsive action on something that needed to be done. Nothing more.

"Terra, hey… don't forget what you told us that time you sort of 'spoke' to your father through Geeda's paintbrush. These espers are only mirrors of their former selves, and by destroying these earthly forms we are allowing their good spirits to be free," said Clyde as he approached.

"I… I know. It's just weird to do something like this. I mean, it's strange enough having a father unlike any other," she said softly, turning to face him.

"I understand," he replied.

She said nothing, and he figured that this was his cue to leave. He looked back at the others, who were waiting patiently by their airship a fair distance from their battlefield, the civilians of the mountains nowhere to be seen now that their homes had been wrecked from the destruction. He knew that Terra would come with them when she was ready, and that she still needed some alone time, so he ambled his way back to the group.

"Hey Clyde."

He stopped in mid stride and turned to her.

"You've got some dirt in your hair," she said with a smile, Clyde feeling through his mud packed head with a smirk in return.

**Later**

"Dammit Locke!" Setzer groaned, kicking an emptied potion bottle over the cliff side.

"Oh Setzer… you know how he is," Celes said apologetically.

"Yeah, and we probably won't be getting out of here until next morning, knowing him!"

While the others were busy preparing to leave after drinking up some of their favorite healing liquid, Locke had apparently gone off on his own to do some treasure hunting, according to Mog, who decided to bring this up at the last minute.

"Mog, do you remember which way he went?" asked Edgar.

"Sure! Kupo! He went that way! Said he wouldn't be long!" said the moogle, pointing to a small path through the mountains.

"I say we send a search for him. Who knows what he's gotten himself into?" said Sabin.

"I'll go," Clyde spoke.

"As will I," added Cyan.

"Me too!" Relm cried.

"No, dear. You stay right here with me," Strago told her flatly.

"But Gramps!"

"Relm. Stay here," he demanded, giving a knowing look to Clyde, because both men were considerably concerned with her safety wherever she went now.

"I'll go ahead and warm the engines up," Setzer said as he moved toward the ship.

Clyde, Sabin, and Cyan headed down the path Mog pointed out, beckoning for the moogle to follow them, since he would know the current mountains better than they. Though they did not anticipate any trouble, things had a way of surprising them, and no doubt some mysterious forces would put them in further danger in their already weakened state. To compensate, they all remained in a close block with each other, weapons out and ready at all times, just in case a surprise did come their way.

"He can't be too far… he's not that stupid to wander off a million miles away," noted Sabin.

"With him, you never can tell," said Clyde.

"Kupo! Let's go there!" Mog piped up, pointing towards a small cavern entrance just to their left as they descended the slope.

It did not exactly look particularly intriguing, but perhaps that was what made it a likely place for treasure to be hiding in the first place. Clyde took the lead with the other three close behind, and they were upon the cave in no time. At first, they thought it to be a dead end, but a closer inspection revealed that a path lay behind a wall of rock that seemed to blend in with the background, making it seem as of nothing was there. They promptly took this path, and noted that a number of small chests were strewn about lying open, along with torches lining the walls. Locke was definitely here, thought Clyde. Whether the items within the chests had been claimed previously or by him just recently, he was definitely here.

"He's definitely here," said Cyan.

"Thinking the same thing," Clyde added, rounding a sharp corner in the rocky passage to the continued mysteries of this treasure cove.

The journey was lengthy and tedious, and fairly haphazard at times when they came across wide crevices in the larger chambers of the caverns. Along the way was the perpetuated trend of empty chests and various broken weapons, something that did not seem to bode well for any travelers through here.

"Locke?!"

"Anyone here?! Hello?!"

"Locke Cole! Where are you?!"

"Hello?!"

Having gone a fair way into the darkness, they began to wander whether proceeding would be a wise decision. Perhaps Locke had cleared out? Perhaps he was coming back eventually?

"You know guys… I-"

"Hey fellas!"

All of them nearly jumped out of their skins when Locke abruptly appeared behind them with an armful of trinkets and a wide smile on his face.

"Jeez man! Could you not have been more subtle?!" Sabin cried, clutching his chest as he panted from the shock.

"You have to come look at this! Follow me!" the treasure hunter said excitedly, taking off down a nearby path.

The small group followed him promptly until coming upon a very small chamber that seemed to have been carved out by hand. There wasn't a whole lot to it, save for two tall torches against the back wall that lit up an opened chest upon a great pedestal. Locke, giddy as a schoolchild, dashed over to the chest and invited them to view its contents, and they were all awed by what they saw.

Inside, resting upon a pearly velvet cushion was a scarlet-hilted pair of weapons with diamonds encrusted into them, one a curved dagger and the other a short sword only an inch or two longer than its counterpart. In the light of the torches, the metal blades and tiny diamonds in the hilts glowed attractively.

"How do you think these got here?" Sabin wondered aloud.

"Who cares? They're mine now! Anyone want to lend a hand with this stuff?" said Locke, dropping a few items from his grip with a sheepish grin.

_Author's Note: I apologize for a sudden halt to my updates. Lately, I've been rather emotionally drained and have found it difficult to write pretty much anything, so this chapter has been produced from a long and unsteady process over the past few weeks. Hopefully some personal issues will tide over soon and I'll be in prime condition to dish out some good chapters in the future. Bear with me, faithful readers._


	13. The Beast of Darkness

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XIII – The Beast of Darkness**

The group promptly began to make their way back through the caves, all of them assisting in the burden of transporting of Locke's new treasure, while he very openly admired his new weapons.

"I'll be so amazing with these…" he muttered half out-loud.

The others were slightly vexed, to say the least, at the timing of his 'treasure hunting' compulsion, and did well to keep any snide remarks to themselves while he rambled on about his glorious new toys. As they walked, however, their surroundings suddenly seemed to grow dimmer, and it was not long before a surreal, unsettling darkness enveloped them. They halted immediately to address the issue.

"What's going on? Guys! I can't see anything!" Locke cried.

"Me neither!" said Sabin.

"Have we been blinded?!" Cyan gasped.

"Silence…" came a resonant voice.

"That voice. Thade… where are you?!" Clyde growled.

"K-kupo?" Mog murmured.

"You have taken the bait. The legendary Arcturax have beckoned to the one with treasures on his mind, as the esper smith Ignus would have expected from his beautiful creations," Zirgen Thade said, his voice coming from no particular direction, disembodied in the cave while the darkness remained.

"You wanna fight, you cheap putz?! I'll take you on blind as a bat! Mog, hold this!" Sabin called with a confident grinding of his knuckles, dropping his burden of Locke's treasure on his right side.

"Kupo! I'm over here…" Mog said to his left.

"Obviously you can see so well in the dark, Figaro. I'm actually going to entertain you with a pet of mine… and perhaps this trick of darkness is a little unfair. But, it matters not whether you can see, for this creature will surely tear you to pieces regardless…" he replied with a small chuckle before relieving them of the dark and adding a strange, pearly white glow to the cave walls.

None of them were concerned as to whether this would be beneficial or not. They could all see, but only as if in a very dimly lit hall, where the slightest movement could not be detected. The swordsmen quickly sought their weapons from their belts, dropping the treasures to the floor, and Locke prepared himself with the Arcturax in hand. There was a second or two of silence, until they heard something from around a nearby passage… a steady, creeping sound accompanied by a clicking, rasping breath. With the minor illumination along the walls, all of them could make out the shape of a foot emerging from the darkness. It bore three long, clawed digits up front and two shorter ones emerging from the heel, resembling the talons of a bird, covered in black, thorny flesh and scales.

The beast that followed the foot was just as fearsome, covered in the thorn-like protrusions all over its body, with a slender, insectoid-reptillian tone to its shape. It was a large creature, and its black, horned face possessed a fixed upper jaw and a pair of separate mandibles as a lower jaw, translucent slime dripping from its bottom fangs. The glowing orange eyes watched the armed heroes carefully as it slinked out of the darkness, slender like a feline, sizing up its prey in its approach.

"I've never seen anything like it… but I definitely don't feel like fighting again…" said Locke.

"Where's the way out?" Clyde wondered aloud.

The beast, having sensed their apprehension, snarled viciously at them, flashing its knife-like teeth. The group had limited time to react when it charged forward with swinging claws. Clyde was the first to make contact, and his sword flew from his hands when slashed by the monster's fierce nails. Sabin came to his aid and landed a hard punch on its shoulder, but retracted his fist when it was pierced by its body thorns. Cyan hesitated a moment, and was whipped in the side by the creature's slender tail, crouching to the ground with a sharp sting across his ribs.

"Come on guys! Just run!" Locke said after being shoved to the ground by a fierce kick from the creature.

_**Meanwhile**_

"Ok, I'm starting to get worried now," said Edgar.

"Locke wouldn't have been stupid enough to go too far away… and the others wouldn't have been stupid enough to go too far out to look for him. They have to be close!" Setzer said as he came out of the ship.

"Shall we seek them out now?" asked Siegfried.

"A search party for a search party…" Daryl commented.

"Setzer's right. Dey can't have gone too far," said Malain.

"Oooh…"

"Terra… are you alright?" asked Celes as Terra dropped to her knees weakly, the others quickly running to her.

"I… I have a terrible feeling that they are all in great danger, and they're very close by…" she gasped, a look of horror upon her face.

"You can sense that?" said Edgar.

"A sense is good enough for me. We have to go," Celes declared, drawing her sword and heading down towards the thick of the mountains.

_**In the Cave**_

"Damn! Damn! Damn! There's no way out! I can't find it!" Locke called as the roars of the wild beast followed them through the caverns.

"Bah! You and your stupid treasure hunting! Thade knew exactly how to lure us into the dark!" Sabin cried, clutching his bleeding fist.

"No one is to blame! We're a team, remember? Whatever trouble we get into together, we get out together!" Clyde declared.

"Kupo! We can't get out though!!"

"We shall find a way!" said Cyan, turning around and heading back the way they came.

In the dim light, he had little time to duck beneath the mysterious creature's swiping claws, and for a moment they worried that it had finally cornered them. Luckily, when it struck the rock, the monster fell forward to the ground in a stupor, allowing the others to quickly leap across it and dash out of the area. It recovered swiftly and gave pursuit with a snarl.

"You think the others are worried about us yet?!" Sabin called as he dashed through the darkness.

"I'm sure they're close by! Just worry about finding some outside light first!" Clyde responded.

He was about to follow Sabin down another passage, but a large rock in his path caught his foot and sent him sprawling across the ground, Mog and Locke passing right over him without realizing. He hastily pulled himself together as he heard the beast coming closer from behind. It wouldn't be long before he was within grasp of its jaws, and he practically pitched himself forward to avoid the snapping teeth. Clyde stumbled around on the earthen floor for a moment, but reeled around a corner just as the creature lunged past.

"Damn! Turn back!" Sabin shouted from up ahead.

Clyde whirled around just as the beast head butted him right in the chest, knocking the wind from him and tossing him right into Locke. The two collapsed backwards against the others as they attempted their exit, Clyde clutching his bruised and scratched front with his hand. The pain was intense, and he was positive some of the horns had pierced his flesh.

"Kupo! We gotta move!"

Clyde gasped from the stinging pain as he grabbed someone's sword and hurled it through the darkness, hearing the blade slice right through the monster's tough scales, followed by a yelp and the sound of its wounded thrashing. The team moved fast and continued their blind dash across the caverns, bumping into each other again and again while stumbling about the darkness.

"Light!" Cyan cried.

"Where?!"

"Look!"

"Hey, what's that sound?!"

They came upon a thick pile of rocks, where a small beam of sunlight barely peeked through, and from the outside they could hear a very dull drone. With little regard of what might be waiting, they scrambled to shovel the heavy stones away from this potential exit, each of them looking back periodically to scout for the beast. It was disturbing enough that it had grown silent as they began digging.

"Come on guys! We can do this!" said Locke, attacking the rocks with his new weapons.

Mog gave out a small yip as the heap grew loose and began to slide apart. Sabin cried out joyously as sunlight began to filter in as more rocks were drawn away. It was an urgent business, and Clyde helped as best as he could, but still felt very weak from the soreness in his chest from the monster's attack. He vowed not to let his injury diminish their progress, however, and urged himself to work faster as the others began to pick up their own pace.

"We're almost there! Just a little bit more!" Clyde said, hoping to boost his own confidence in their escape.

"Kupo! I hear voices!"

They did not bother to stop, but listened carefully to the outside to discern what was occurring.

"Guys! Over here! I hear something from behind these rocks!" came the familiar voice of Edgar.

"No way! Edgar! HEY! IT'S US!" Sabin shouted.

At that moment, a terrible roar sounded just behind them, and the black creature came charging forward. Clyde grabbed Mog and pulled him back against the wall, while Sabin, Cyan, and Locke flattened themselves to the other side. The beast realized this too late, and slammed head first into the stones, loosening the pile further. More sunlight entered the cave, and Edgar jumped back in fright upon sight of the creature, knowing that it was certainly not friendly.

"Oh damn!" he shouted, falling back as the others came to him.

"Edgar! Did you find- AH!" Celes screamed as she saw the beast, shaking its head madly from the impact.

"Ugah! We save friends!" Umaro growled fearlessly, running forward and pummeling the rocks.

The power of his fists made the pile fly backwards into the cave, hammering the monster of the dark. It roared its discomfort as heavy stones flew into its hide, forcing it backwards through the caverns as a heavy cloud of dust filled the area. With barely enough room to climb out, Sabin was the first to escape, followed very swiftly by the others. They all came to Clyde's aid as he hauled himself through, and quickly carried him back to the waiting airship, Setzer ready to take off at a moment's notice. Umaro took one last chance to hurl a thick boulder at the monster before rejoining the group, and Clyde was quickly loaded on board and placed in the cockpit to rest, Interceptor greeting his master with a considerable amount of love.

"Setzer, take care of him, and keep the ship running," said Celes as she bolted from the cockpit to join her friends.

"Chest hurt?" Setzer asked.

"…" Clyde gave him a curt glare, wondering how obvious his discomfort really was now that his cuts began to bleed.

Outside, the monster tore through the rocks to combat the almost full group in broad daylight, flashing its terrible teeth. None of them wasted much time. Terra quickly blasted it with Flare, the creature leaping out of the way just barely, getting its tail singed by the fiery blast. As it evaded her magic, Siegfried charged forward and brought his sword down upon its back, finding it difficult to slice through the thick flesh. He quickly jumped away before the creature's great claws took his head off.

"Quasar!"

Strago laughed in triumph as the Blue Magic struck the beast a powerful blow, causing it visible discomfort. This was immediately succeeded by an attack from Sabin's Holy Bolt, which agitated the monster further. Before any one could make a planned attack, the beast lunged straight into the group with its tail whipping ferociously. Daryl and Gau were both struck right away, the sharp spikes cutting through their arms as they tried to defend. Cyan made to slice its back legs, but was caught by a powerful kick to the ribs and sent sprawling back to the ground.

"Pearl!" Celes shouted.

The creature nearly dodged the magic had Edgar not been ready with his Chainsaw, swinging it across the beast's face. It bucked madly as the holy magic struck from above, but refused to cease its relentless assault even though it was very obviously weakening. Its manic behavior only increased from the attacks, Umaro receiving a deep slash across his back, leaving Locke open to thrust his weapons into the creature's shoulders. The blades sliced through with a sickening noise, and a screech of intense pain came from the creature's throat. Locke was flung from its back, and it began to twist uncomfortably from the agony, only intensified when it moved its front legs.

"Hey! Ugly face!"

The beast half-heartedly turned its attention to Relm, who swished and flicked her paintbrush across the air, replicating a perfect sketch of its terrifying form. The magic produced an invisible, vicious slash from nowhere that cut across the beast's face, its own power being used against it with such force that its neck twisted with a crack, and it fell dead to the ground.

They all stood silent for a moment.

"Are you kidding me?!" Relm said in shock at her own abilities.

"Kupo-po! That was amazing!" Mog said in delight.

"Forget it! Let's heal everyone up and get the hell out of here!" Locke said, pulling his new weapons from the corpse while Celes carefully led Gau back to the ship and Siegfried assisted Daryl, both bleeding fairly badly.

"Setzer! We're going! Set a course for Valorin!" Edgar called.

The ship lifted off the ground and rocketed up into the sky at Edgar's command when everyone had arrived. Terra ran into the cockpit and immediately began to heal Clyde with her magic, and other potions and curing spells had been dispersed quite liberally to everyone else. The wounds disappeared and everyone started to feel fairly healthy again, easing the stressful tension of the moment.

Unfortunately, a little to many potions had been applied, to the point that Gau was beginning to act a little loopy from a few extra drinks of the healing liquid. This was bad news when combined with the high speed of their jet, and when they finally landed in Valorin, the wild boy stumbled stupidly off the ship in an intoxicated state with Umaro following close behind to steady him. The others disembarked with sighs of relief at seeing the village still in fine shape. Though not completely in prime condition from the battle, they greeted the citizens with brave smiles and confident posture.

"Maaw! No help! I make it to…" Gau finished his sentence with an incomprehensible mumble.

"Good lord… remind me never to take him out for a REAL drink!" Sabin said in disbelief, watching as the village began to stare at Gau's drunken antics.

"We'll put him to bed for a while," said Locke.

"Yeah, he's not going to be of much use to us," said Edgar as they entered the Valorin area.

"I might have to try some more potions like that some time," Daryl joked.

"Ah ha… no ma'am!" Setzer replied.

"Friends! So good to see you returned safely, and with a new transport I see!" said the ever- friendly mayor, who was visibly uplifted by their arrival.

"We hit some trouble yesterday and weren't able to come back as fast as we wanted," Setzer explained.

"Quite alright! I'm sure you're off saving the world again, like you should be!" the man exclaimed.

"Mr. Mayor, we're here to help out in whatever way we can," said Celes.

"Yeah… just nearly got our ass kicked by a freaky monster, so I'm up for anything!" Sabin declared.

"Oh, but you've done so much for us already!"

"Nonsense! Those in need can never have too much help!" said Terra.

"Well… alright, if you insist!" the mayor said with a bashful grin.

"Where shall we start, sir?" asked Cyan.

"Just ask around and I'm sure you can be put to work!"

_Author's Note: Good lord. Never have I pushed myself to finish something like this. I swore that I would see to the end of this story, and I will live up to that promise. The past few months have been fairly shitty, which has limited my time and abilities for a while, and though I will be kept fairly busy this summer, I hope that I can deliver much more efficiently and give you, my readers, the ending you deserve. Yeah, this chapter is a bit shorter than the others… but as I said before, it's been hell trying to push it past the finish line, and it's about time I just moved on with it. (Next chapter will be on its way very shortly. It's the most I can do for making you wait so long!)  
_


	14. The Tenth Dream

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XIV – The Tenth Dream**

The labor in Valorin was a considerable change of events after what they had been putting themselves through lately, and it was a grace that they cherished quite dearly in its low intensity. All of them scattered throughout the village, doing tasks from the incredibly easy and sometimes of minimal importance like helping the citizens decide where to lay out their furniture… to tasks that were fairly difficult and required some effort to complete, like hauling heavy supplies to builders or, according to Setzer, entertaining the children…

"Having fun here?" said Daryl as she approached the circle of youths surrounding the captain.

"Oh, you've no idea!" he said with a forced smile.

"I know you love this, dear… anyone to give you attention, right?" she replied with a smirk.

"Hey, that's Sabin… not me!"

"Eh? Someone call me?" came Sabin's voice from one of the under construction houses, then he suddenly let out a sharp "OOWWWWW!" when his distraction had made him drop a heavy tool on his foot.

Setzer and Daryl snickered quietly as he began to curse loudly and stomp around.

"Well, don't corrupt them _too_ much," Daryl said as she walked away.

Setzer nodded and turned back to the children.

"So, as I was saying kids… you have to remember to watch your opponents' faces. If they don't look like they're bluffing, but you want to call them on it, increase your bets in small increments. But if they are obviously bluffing and you want to scare them out of it, you gotta make some pretty big leaps. Gambling is an art, and you definitely have to learn the delicacies of it…"

Clyde snickered in the evening shade, watching Setzer taint the youth of a fresh, new village. He had to admit, it was hard to find much entertainment or fun in this era of darkness, and sometimes you had to turn to the things you know best to keep yourself happy. It was a disappointing period, but there was no doubt that it would pass when they achieved victory.

"Hey Clyde," said Locke as he came over to rest from his job of hammering nails, his brow covered in sweat.

"How's the carpentry?"

"Sucks… but they need help, ya know?" he replied with a heavy sigh.

"That's right. I can't say that I enjoy hauling crates of supplies up and down the side of this mountain… but it's for a good cause," said Clyde.

"Yeah. So hey, I was thinking about something. Tomorrow, when we're good and ready, I think we should check out Thamasa. We haven't been there at all since everything started going down… and it might be nice for Strago and Relm to see their home," explained Locke.

Clyde nodded his consent.

"Though who knows what's there now? I wonder if Geeda has already taken it under control," Clyde added as an afterthought.

Locke frowned at the idea.

"Well, Setzer said that it was alright the last time he was there… but things change fairly quickly here."

"No worries! We'll liberate them just like we did South Figaro if that's the case!" came Setzer's voice, who was listening in after the kids ran off to play… many of them supplied with decks of playing cards.

"Yeah! We will liberate them!" Locke said with a smile.

"And after that, we'll be the liberators of the rest of this world," Clyde said nobly.

Setzer suddenly seemed to be thinking very hard, concentrating on what was just said, his face screwed up in puzzlement.

"Er… Setzer? You alright?" Locke asked, waving his hand at him.

"Oh wow! I like the sound of that! Hey guys, let's name the ship! We'll call it _The Liberator_!" Setzer cried with ecstatic joy.

Clyde and Locke smirked at each other, feeling very uplifted by Setzer's sudden happiness.

"That has a nice ring to it."

"Makes me feel all valiant inside now."

"This is great! The Liberator! I love it!" Setzer exclaimed, running off the spread the news of their airship's christening.

"First the Returners… and now we're liberators with a ship to prove it. Next time some maniac comes along we might have to call ourselves the Wardens of the Earth!"

"Oh come on man… you can do better than that," Clyde said with a smile.

It came to pass that Valorin was off to an excellent boost in its reconstruction. The entire night, no disturbances appeared, and the heroes and the citizens were able to do their duty in absolute peace for the first time. It was to be a long road ahead until the village was in prime condition… but the path it was on was a good one. Unfortunately… the peace did not last in the world of sleep.

"Not again," said Clyde in his dream, standing alone in one of the cars on the haunting Phantom Train.

This was the second time his subconscious had placed him in this location… and these dreams were starting to become a nuisance rather than the frightening deterrence they were intended to be. But for now, all he could do was let them happen as Zirgen Thade saw fit.

"Alright, what prophetically horrible fate do you have for me now?" he asked, crossing his arms impatiently on board the bumpy train.

There was no answer, and it was hardly surprising.

"Come on Thade, I know you're there. Thomas, are you going to pay a visit too? Let me guess, Death is creeping around somewhere swearing vengeance against me on this ride?"

"Clyde? What's going on?" came a familiar voice behind him.

He whirled around to see Terra entering the train car, dressed in a nightgown.

"Hah! Nice try Thade… just an illusion of the dream," Clyde said with a satisfied smile.

"W-what? What are you talking about Clyde?" she asked, utterly bewildered at his strange grin.

"Terra, you're just a figment of my imagination here in my sleep. You're not real. Honestly, the whole disembodied voice thing was a more effective!" he called out.

"Clyde are you alright? I think you're hallucinating… we're still in Valorin. Thade isn't here," she said with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Shh now, Dream Terra… I'm going to find out where that lunatic has gone to," he said, turning on his heels and strutting towards the other end of the car.

"Clyde?! What are you doing? This isn't a dream right now! I'm really here!" she called out, a hint of a sob in her voice.

"He's trying to get me where it's most effective… won't work here. I can kill my emotions for now…"

When he reached the end of the cabin, the train suddenly stopped, throwing him forward through the door and out into a completely different scene. Now, he was standing in a field of dead grass, dull yellow spanning out in every direction with not a sign of any trees or landforms.

"What now?!" he growled.

He looked around for any sign of Thade's presence, and his eye suddenly caught on a small form laying yards away in a little red cloak. He carefully approached the object, eyeing his surroundings with caution. It was obvious that he could not be physically harmed here, but he still would hate to be taken by surprise in such manipulative dreams. However, nothing came to attack him as he knelt before the cloaked figure, and it was no surprise that there laid Relm, dressed in her old clothes from the day that they first met a year ago. But there was a considerable difference in that there was a large wound in her side that had already secreted a fair flow of blood that was now soaked into her garments.

"Oh come on… don't… don't do this," he said in disgust.

Relm's weak form turned to look up at him with a tired expression.

"C-Clyde? D-Daddy?"

"No… just a dream. Relm is fine… she's not really hurt. Get a hold of yourself Clyde, he's trying too hard this time," he said, his voice almost faltering at the end.

"Daddy… it hurts. My side hurts, and I can barely see anything now…" she moaned.

"Relm, you're not really hurt… this is just a dream. You don't even know I'm your father…"

"I stopped bleeding a while ago… but the pain won't go away Daddy…" she cried.

"Thade! Damn you, stop this now!" Clyde shouted to the sky… a beautiful, cloudless blue.

Suddenly, the ground completely disappeared, and Clyde was falling into an abyss. He plunged into blackness, but red, earthen walls appeared around him, as if he were descending into a tunnel deep in the land. The fall was apparently endless, and then something massive materialized before him. In its completion, it was a red, glowing skull covered by a shredded black hood, fierce and terrifying as he continued to fall: the personification of Death.

"You may have escaped your death in this journey… but perhaps your friends will not be so fortunate for long!" it roared in an echoing, ear-shattering voice.

Clyde landed. And through a small area of illumination, several fallen bodies appeared before him. Farthest from the group was the furry, white form of his yeti companion… and scattered in a circle was everyone else that he knew. All of his closest companions were, presumably, dead at his feet, and he stood alive amongst this chaotic scene. He could even see his first friend, Rosa's lifeless body next to Gau's still form. And directly below him was the open-eyed, terrified final expression of Terra, staring straight at him in a cold, dead stasis. This had pushed it too far. Clyde looked up into the darkness above him and screamed a horrible scream.

And then he was awake, bolting up from his small bed. In his urgent return to consciousness, his body weight carried him to the ground, where he landed with a loud thud. Fortunately, there was no one to be disturbed, because though The Liberator had plentiful room to rest all of the team and more, he once again preferred to sleep under the stars, this time with a cot provided by the mayor. When his panting had slowed to a steady pace, he picked himself up and took in his surroundings, relieved to find that he was safe in Valorin, perched on a small ledge in the mountain, easily reachable from the ground.

"Rrr… DAMMIT!" he roared, punching the ground furiously.

He retracted his hand once the pain settled in and shot across his knuckles. He winced in regret at his reckless outburst, feeling fortunate at least that he did not throw himself off the ledge in his rage.

"C-Clyde?"

He looked up fearfully, hoping to Heaven that her voice was real and that it wasn't just another sinister nightmare. He saw her in physical form, at least… her loose green hair flying in the soft breeze of the night as she approached from the direction of The Liberator, dressed in her pirate garb from that day. Goodness, had it only been a day? That's right… she just returned to them that morning.

"Terra…" he whimpered.

"Are you alright? Another bad dream?" she asked when she stopped at the bottom of the ledge.

"Yeah… just a dream. Don't worry about me. I think I'll be fine now," he said with a half assured smile.

"Ok… you know, if you ever want to talk about it…"

"You'll be the first I come to," he replied with a sincere smile now.

And she returned the smile, a moment that really touched him and sent a shiver down his spine… or perhaps that was the sudden chill that had picked up. He noticed that she shivered too, chattering her teeth when the wind came at them, and with the understood "good night" between their nods, she turned back to walk to the airship. For a moment he just stood in silence, watching her trudge away into the night, his breath becoming a visible, white mist as he exhaled. Then, he gained initiative.

"Hey! Terra!" he called out, jumping down from the ledge and jogging over to her.

"It's cold out here… allow me to accompany you back to the ship," he said, putting his warm arm around her as he led her back, not daring to look at the adoring smile she gave him for fear that it might melt him were he stood.

"Since when did the fearsome and introverted Shadow become such a gentleman?" she said.

He chuckled slightly.

"When the sweet and innocent Terra became a swashbuckling pirate," he said in reply.

_**Next Morning**_

"Dear friends, we are certainly sad to see your departure yet again… but we understand that you have noble business to take care of, and the welfare of our entire world should certainly be ensured before Valorin can prosper!" said the mayor in his departing words.

"Do not fear, Mr. Mayor. We will eventually return if we seek refuge. And we trust that you will all stay strong in this time of great pressure!" said Locke, addressing the mayor and the villagers.

Many of them murmured their agreement, quietly nodding in acceptance. And with that, everyone had boarded The Liberator, its engines primed and ready to go. Edgar closed the hatch and gave Setzer the ok once everyone was aboard, and the ship took of steadily, heading south for the unknown that waited in Thamasa. Strago, Relm, and even Clyde were nervous about returning, wondering what would be left of their home.

"Be prepared for the worst. Chances are Geeda has an esper waiting for us right when we land," said Edgar.

"Or worse… chances are Geeda is waiting for us right when we land," Daryl added.

They flew the rest of the trip in silence, most of them trying not to think too hard and choosing to concentrate on anything mundane to keep them distracted. This tactic wasn't needed for long, because they were landing only a short while after their departure. When the ship was completely set on the ground, Setzer appeared from the cockpit.

"Everything looks natural to me. I think we're safe to go out," he said.

And Edgar took a deep breath before opening the hatch, letting the morning sunlight spill inside as the group filed out onto the island that contained Thamasa. Much to their pleasant surprise, it did look largely untouched, and Strago allowed himself a smile upon seeing his dear home once again.

"Gramps! We're back!" Relm cried, running into the village with glee.

The rest followed quickly behind, to be greeted by the casual faces of its citizens, many of them recognizing the team from their previous visits. And soon after they had come upon the village, Strago's elderly friend Gungho came to greet them, a broad grin on his face.

"Strago! Dear friend! I feared that when you left you would never return after all this news I've been hearing about esper attacks across the world!"

"Bah! You know me! I never back down from a good fight!" Strago said proudly.

"Hah! That's certainly not the Strago I used to know…"

"And who was it that defeated the Hidon?" Strago replied with a smirk.

"Fine, fine, old friend… perhaps in your old age you are regaining that youthful vigor that possessed us so frequently in our past. Tell me, what brings you here now?"

"Just checking in, I suppose? Obviously The Flood did not claim you as I feared it would."

"Strago… this is a village of magic. You honestly think we would let the waters take us where it pleased?"

"You mean, you can use magic now?" Celes cut in.

"Oh, well… slightly, my dear. You see, it's been very peculiar how our abilities were sucked from our grasp and yet are slowly returning to various individuals. Not everyone here is as they were, but for us seasoned magicians, we have rediscovered considerable power again," Gungho explained.

"Indeed. We have experienced that ourselves," said Strago.

"Has anything happened here at all?" asked Locke.

"Well, now that you ask… we received a peculiar visitor not too long ago. He is an agent of Lord Thomas Geeda, but swears that his allegiance still lies with you, King Figaro," said the old man, looking to Edgar.

"A servant of mine?" Edgar asked.

"Indeed. One, Marcus Eratos, formerly the Chancellor to Figaro Castle? He brought with him a small regiment of Tom Geeda's troops, but called upon our village to help dispatch of them. Perhaps, because you are acquainted, you would like to see him?"

"Marcus! I knew he would never betray me! Please take us to him!"

Gungho nodded and made his way further into Thamasa. Locke told the others to do as they like for the time being, explaining that he and Edgar would meet with the Chancellor and get what information they could. So, while they followed Gungho, the others left to explore.

"Home again," Strago breathed, walking off towards his house, where Relm had already made herself comfortable inside.

Clyde stood at Thamasa's edge for a moment, feeling a guilty chill down his spine. Yes, this was his home once as well… and coming back here did not help him to forget his dream, where the dying form of Relm called him Daddy. He had already tried to keep one secret from his friends… and to hold onto this was even worse. But how could he tell her? Would she even believe him? Strago would be there to confirm his story… but is this something Relm would want to hear? Surely it was peculiar that Interceptor almost preferred her company to his, but had she never considered why? It should not be this hard! Did he want to walk right into that house and say, "Relm, I am your father"? No! Should he? That was the question of the hour…

"No… I can't do it right now," he told himself, purposefully avoiding the house and walking to the east side of the village… where he knew he would find Terra.

There she knelt, before the majestic stone grave that sat amongst a grove of trees. She was touching the gravestone, her eyes locked on the sword stuck in the mound of rock behind the grave. It was apparent that General Leo's death had been hard on her… and seeing this reminder only made those feelings return. As she sat there, Clyde knew that tears had formed in her eyes, slowly sliding down her face as she recalled the honorable man and his fierce nobility. So badly did he want to run over and hold her… but it would be inappropriate to invade upon her moment like this, so he turned at let her be.

"Clyde?" she called from behind, making him freeze in mid-stride.

He tentatively turned to face her, and noticed that she was getting up from the ground, wiping her eyes and ambling towards him with a faint smile.

"Did… did you want to see me?" she asked, sniffling.

"Ah… no, no… it's alright. We'll talk later. I didn't want to interrupt you or anything…" he stammered.

She couldn't help but widen her smile. It was obvious that Clyde had a difficult time dealing with his emotions, especially in front of women… but he tried, and it was very sweet and considerate of him.

"It's fine, Clyde. I was just paying my respects again to the General. I'm here for you if you have something to say."

"Well… I. I just…" he finished his statement with a heavy sigh.

"Clyde, what is it?" she asked, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

That felt good… boy did it feel good. Feeling the warmth of her hand on his shoulder had a strange effect on him, and he wondered if it would help painting his face red to keep himself from blushing, because it sure was embarrassing letting these emotions take him over. But, he didn't really mind it at all.

"I want to tell you something. Another secret of mine…" he said softly.

"You can tell me anything you want," she said, still smiling.

She knew he had something important to say, but that he was battling it out whether he should tell her. Somehow, she understood that it did not involve her, but it was something in his past that was eating at him now, and that he had to get it off his chest. She would be there to listen if that's all it took.

"I… Relm… she's…"

She still smiled, but became very puzzled suddenly. Something to do with Relm? What was he getting at here? She knew that the little girl admired Clyde quite a bit, and was rather fond of him and Interceptor… but was there something that she didn't know about under the surface? This was something really difficult for him to say. It was like his emotions were channeled into her brain and she could really sense his nervousness. What was the deal here? What could possibly… then it hit her.

"Relm is…"

"Your daughter," she said, her smile replaced by a look of shock.

"H-how did you?!" Clyde said, startled by her sudden awareness.

"I… something just kind of hit me mentally. When you mentioned her name, I couldn't imagine where you were going with this, and then it came to me. What else could it be?"

"I don't know what to say now…" he said.

"It's certainly surprising… but I'm not the one you should be telling right now. She doesn't know yet, does she?"

"N-no. She doesn't."

"Clyde, tell her."

Clyde had nothing to say to that. She didn't say it in a mean or strict way. She just said it. But that was what he needed. She told him what to do, and he knew she was right. He could tell the whole world about it and it wouldn't be right until he told Relm himself. Silently, he nodded his head in understanding.

Meanwhile, Relm was skipping around the house happily, going through all of her belongings and quickly re-equipping herself for the journey ahead. Now that she was home, she regained access to her powerful Rainbow Brush, which had served her well against Kefka's hordes and would likely do the same against the likes of Tom Geeda. And, as she looked through a small jewelry box of hers, she noticed a familiar item that she'd nearly forgotten about… her Memento Ring.

"Oh wow… haven't seen this in a while."

She picked up the beautiful silver treasure, decorated with tiny pearls. Inside it was a tiny inscription, one that she had read upon discovering the ring here a year ago but failed to recall it now. She looked at it and read aloud:

"To those who survive me, my sweet daughter and my darling husband… let this treasure allow you to live in the face of danger. My love will protect you both."

She knew this was a relic of her mother's, but had never bothered to question about her mother's husband… her father. It was strange that Strago claimed her parents had died, yet so often mentioned her mother without saying a word of her dad. Was it coincidence? Perhaps there was an ill history between the two of them, though grandpa claimed that he was good friends with her father. Something about this suddenly bugged her, and she wanted to figure it out soon. Perhaps the house, which she had explored so often in earlier days, held some overlooked clues? She was going to find out.

_Author's Note: Ha ha! Two chapters within 24-hours! This one was fun to write, and I hope I did a good job in the short amount of time that it was completed! I knew I couldn't leave you hanging with the drama about Clyde's relationship to Relm, so I hope you eagerly await the next chapter, which will be done… who knows when? Mwuahaha! You've no idea how good it feels to get in touch with these characters again. And, as I mentioned before in a previous chapter… if you figure something out about the plot through some clever reading, please keep the spoilers to yourself! I'd like to surprise at least someone eventually!_


	15. Dark Messenger

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XV – Dark Messenger**

The only place that would really have some helpful clues would be the attic, a territory she was never fond of exploring even as a very young child due to cobwebs and spiders. But Relm was fearless in her search for answers now. She climbed into the very small attic and stared at all of the boxes, almost as if she expected the answers to jump out at her right then and there. Unfortunately those answers did not jump out, and she had to crawl through years of dust and spider webs to begin searching.

"Disgusting!" she spat, flailing her hands around to dispel the cobwebs.

She reached one of the boxes and began rummaging around inside. All she could find, however, were books, most of them on the topic of magic and likely previously used by her grandpa. She pushed it aside and moved to the next one. Three boxes of useless trinkets later, she found what she was looking for, though she did not quite know it yet.

"Maybe this has something!"

She pulled out a very aged piece of parchment, flattening it out to read its old scripture.

"Dear Julia… a friend of mine wrote me that there has been an injured visitor to Thamasa, and that you are nursing him back to health? I truly hope that you are not becoming too trusting again, my dear. The last time we accepted a stranger, we all regretted it, and I daresay that you are sometimes far too sweet for your own good. I will be returning in a few days time, and I hope that you will use caution around whoever this individual may be. Perhaps you could keep the dog around you, just in case? Well, I will see you soon! Your friend, Strago Magus."

Relm quietly studied the letter after reading.

"Julia? That's it… that was my mother's name, Strago told me," she whispered.

She continued to search through the box, locating another piece of paper, this one looking as if it had been torn from a book of some sort. It was a diary entry.

"He says he's feeling a lot better now and seems to be much more energetic. Strago came home a few days ago, and the two of them have gotten along really well. Also, our new dog has taken quite a liking to him as well, which is really peculiar given that he used to act so feral and anti social before… we never even gave him a name because he was a stray, but maybe our new friend can help us out there? He's actually kind of sweet, and I'm really curious about where he comes from and what his story is. The most we really know is that his name is…"

Relm frowned when she saw that the ink was smudged and completely illegible at that point, ruining the suspenseful feeling she had been developing in her gut. But something interesting did catch her eye… all of the talk about a dog that used to be there. What was that about? There was no way Strago would put up with that, and she never had any pets before. All she could do was play with the other kids' animals.

"More paper…" she sighed, choosing the most legible page she could.

"It's been several months now, and we can't really deny it any longer… I am pregnant with his child. We certainly did not anticipate or even plan this, but how does one anticipate love when it blooms? I can only hope that he will stay with us after the child is born. From what I know of his past, he did not live the most honorable of lives, but now he's such a sweet and caring soul that I cannot picture raising the baby without him."

"The plot thickens," she murmured, digging around some more.

Her hand found a strange, rubbery object at the bottom of the box, and she pulled it out to discover a doggy toy shaped like a bone. She tossed it aside and continued her search, feeling something that resembled a bowl of some sort. It was made of wood, but when she pulled it out it was certainly a bowl, a dog bowl actually… and a name was engraved in the wood across the side: Interceptor.

"WHAT?!" she shrieked, dropping the bowl.

"Relm? Are you alright up there?" came Strago's voice from below.

Was she alright?! Did she even know anymore? Here was this startling box of revelations, leading to a conclusion that she never would have even considered. But perhaps there was a way out. Perhaps it was not as it seemed, and the affiliation with Interceptor was entirely coincidental. There was no way that this sort of thing could have been hidden so well from her… not ever. Without even thinking about how she would confront this, she snatched the bowl from the floor and stomped down the stairs of the attic back into the house. There was no one on the second floor, so she proceeded to stomp down to the first as well.

When she entered the living area, there stood the two perpetrators of her current distress. And before she could stop herself, she hurled the bowl straight at Clyde, who quickly caught it before it struck his face. She had made up her mind on how to handle it, because this could not be a coincidence.

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!" she shrieked.

"Relm! Dear, what is the problem?!" Strago cried, suddenly becoming very frightful at her rage.

"Strago…" said Clyde, handing him the bowl.

The old mage took it and inspected the name upon the side, closing his eyes and bowing his head in shame.

"She knows," Clyde added.

"YEAH! I FIGURED IT OUT ELEVEN YEARS LATER!" she screamed with tears forming in her eyes.

"Relm… I don't know what to tell you," Strago said softly.

"Why _didn't_ you ever tell me?! You said that my parents were killed by wild beasts!" she continued.

"Relm, it's all my fault. I left… Strago didn't know what to do, I came back unexpectedly while the world was in turmoil… it just couldn't happen," Clyde explained.

"What kind of excuse is that?!"

"Dear… please calm yourself," Strago cracked.

"Grandpa! You didn't even know who he was until we visited Owzer's house last month! Why didn't you tell me then?"

"Because I had just remembered it myself," Clyde said before Strago could speak.

"Just remembered it? YOU FORGOT?!" Relm screamed even louder, causing both men to flinch.

"Relm… I-"

"HOW DO YOU FORGET YOUR OWN DAUGHTER?!"

And with that, the girl turned on her heels and bolted upstairs, crying and screaming so loud that it was likely the whole village could hear her. Clyde and Strago stood speechless for a moment, completely bewildered by this unfortunate turn of events.

"How the hell did I allow this to happen?" Clyde sobbed, dropping to his knees weakly.

"Clyde, do not blame yourself. I am a part of this too, and I am just as much at fault," said Strago, stumbling back into a nearby chair to steady himself.

From the corner of the room, Interceptor jogged over to Clyde and began to nuzzle against him. It was not much comfort, but at least the dog loved unconditionally, and at least Clyde had never betrayed him or his trust… he was just a dog, someone who didn't care about secrets and lies. He reached out and patted the Doberman on the head, stroking his fur softly.

"Well… I owe it to Interceptor for at least getting the information out there. I had no idea how I was going to tell her."

"Yes… that dog has always been rather faithful," said Strago with a weak smile.

Suddenly, a loud scream was heard outside. Interceptor immediately grew defensive and started barking and howling at the door, Clyde jumping to his feet.

"Strago, stay here… make sure Relm is ok. We'll go check this out."

Clyde and Interceptor ran for the door and quickly made their way out into the village, seeing the people looking up at the sky with confused expressions. Something had just happened, but he could tell that no one knew exactly what that was.

"CLYDE! MOVE!" cried a voice.

Clyde took heed and ran in no particular direction, Interceptor on his heels as a gray orb of energy flew down from the sky and exploded where Clyde previously stood. He looked up to see the furious gaze of the demon esper that had attacked in Jidoor, likely returning from his defeat the day before and seeking to end the heroes once and for all.

"Your magic trick yesterday was hardly enough to keep me from finding you again!" it growled.

"We've got plenty more tricks for you too, so come on down and let's see what you've got!" Celes taunted, brandishing her sword.

"You make me so proud sometimes, dear," Locke said with a chuckle.

"Gravija!" the esper roared, throwing its hands up in the air.

The area around its fingers began to ripple with intense energy, and an array of gray spheres shot across the village, draining the energy out of nearly every one in sight. Of the team, Malain, Umaro, and Siegfried were now collapsed on the ground, and the others quickly converged on the battlefield to prevent a similar attack.

"Flare!" Terra shouted, pointing her magic toward the esper.

"Not again, silly girl!" the demon snapped, diving towards the ground straight for Terra, dodging the magical explosion as it occurred just behind it.

The creature nearly reached his target when Edgar came running forward with a sleek, new crossbow tool in his hands. He opened fire and launched a stream of metal bolts at the esper, laughing triumphantly when it was diverted from its course and it crashed to the ground. But it did not stay down for long. It got to its feet and began flapping its wings, hovering just above the ground as the team began to approach.

"The master was right about you!" it said with a sharp-toothed grin.

The esper let out a ferocious roar as it charged forward in flight, and it body slammed Edgar with incredible force that hurled the king backwards several yards. Celes and Locke quickly teamed up against it, but it repelled them with a wide swipe of its hand after taking a few hits.

"Pearl!" Celes cried as she fell to the ground.

The demon hissed as it was struck by the magic, blasting Celes and Locke with a gravity spell that kept them collapsed in the grass.

"Pearl!" called Daryl as she mimicked Celes' attack.

The esper quickly dodged and fired a purple bolt of magic at her, which she narrowly avoided. It struck the ground and exploded on impact, showering them with dirt. In the confusion, it swooped around and snatched her from the ground, flying up into the sky while dangling her from her ankle.

"Daryl! No! You bastard!" Setzer shouted, running beneath the esper as it floated above.

"Your emotional attachments make you so weak!" it said with a laugh, letting go of Daryl.

She plunged towards the earth at high velocity, and she was barely saved from certain death when Strago ran from his house and cast Float upon her, Terra doing likewise. She stopped in mid-air, barely a foot above the ground as the double magic did its work. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and Setzer came running to her.

"And it proves an excellent distraction as well! Gravija!"

The gravity spheres flew out again, this time working their effects on everyone in sight, and even more on those who had already been hit by the spell. The esper safely dropped down once the entire team lay weakened, crawling across the ground with hopes to continue their fight, to little avail.

"Lord Geeda promised a fight from you, but even accompanied by a town full of magic users you could not match my power!" it declared while taking delicate, small strides through the grass of Thamasa, observing his fallen opponents.

"Flare!" Terra croaked, forcing herself to stand and charge with her sword.

The demon quickly covered himself with his vast wings, barely scathed by the fiery magic. The others had found themselves not entirely useless, and did their best to continue the assault on the esper. Unfortunately, their movements were sluggish and reactions were poor, leading to Clyde, Gau, and Siegfried being backhanded so roughly that they became airborne before crashing into nearby building walls. Clyde hurled his weapon at the beast, pumping his fist in the air when the blade sliced across its side. It let out a howl of pain before hovering above the ground and flying straight towards Clyde, body slamming him as it had done Edgar against the wall.

"Gravija!" it called, unleashing another crippling blow to their efforts.

"Fire!" one of the villagers cried, a puny tuft of flame spewing from his hands.

The demon glided over to the man and hurled him into the air, a gleeful smile on its sinister face. It caught the man as he came back to the ground, and was about to be particularly cruel until a set of canine teeth sunk into its leg, provoking a pained bellow from the creature. It let the man fall to the grass and swiftly kicked Interceptor across the face. The dog yelped and was tossed into a nearby mass of bushes, becoming completely still. Clyde, having witnessed this, growled furiously and staggered to his feet, running for the esper as if in a drunken stupor from the magic effects.

"That's my dog! How dare you?!" he snarled.

"What are you going to do without a weapon?" it taunted, firing a purple energy bolt at Clyde that struck him square in the chest and sent him sprawling.

"Waao!" Gau yipped, calling upon one of his many Rages and summoning a white comet from the sky that plummeted towards the esper.

The magic struck true, and the beast dropped to its knees from the blow, cringing and hissing through its barred teeth. It glared at the wild boy who was beginning to rediscover his energy and quickly dispatched him with another gravity spell.

"HEY! You leave my friends… and my father ALONE!" came a loud shriek from behind the demon.

It whirled around with eyes wide in a furious gaze, snarling at Relm as she stood defiantly before her house, a brilliantly colored paintbrush with a rainbow design in her hands. When it realized that she was just a little girl, the esper gave a confident smirk and a low chuckle, slowly getting to its feet. It approached her carefully, hands hanging to its sides and eyes glued to her with menace.

"Wait, what's this? Father?" said Edgar, laying sprawled in the grass.

"Did she just say to leaver her _father_ alone?" Daryl wondered, several yards away.

While everyone else remained weakened and now confused, Terra smiled to herself blissfully, even though she felt like a heavy weight had her pinned to the ground. The effects of the magic were weakening steadily, but the triple blast of Gravija had certainly made its impression on the fight. It looked like Relm had finally understood after the shouting fit she heard from the house.

"Relm… get out…" Clyde choked, too far away from her for his voice to carry.

"Brave little girl is going to save the day," the demon taunted, coming closer with each second that passed.

"That's right!" she countered, swishing her Rainbow Brush madly in the air.

Her sketch had taken considerably longer than usual, and the esper was laughing as it continued its approach while she appeared to be flicking her tool in the air. However, it suddenly halted when its mirror image seemed to flicker before it for a moment before a perfect artistic rendition of its likeness was only a few feet away. It stood there confused, cautiously slinking backwards as the picture hovered in the air.

Then, from the image came a massive ball of gray energy that immediately wrapped itself around the demon, suddenly sprouting tendrils of a similar color that reached out across the village and drew the dark energy from its previous targets, revitalizing everyone in the vicinity while it added to the weakening of the beast it had trapped.

"Would you look at that?!" Sabin said in awe as he bounced to his feet.

"Incredible," Malain muttered.

When the gray sphere had done its work, it dissipated along with Relm's magical sketch. The creature let out a frightful gasp as it collapsed in a heap on the ground. Though it was still very alive, evident from its twitching wings and the way it desperately clawed at the ground. With their energy restored, the heroes and villagers began pulling themselves up from the grass, but they made no move to attack the now-defenseless demon as it struggled with the effects of its own magic.

"How… how dare you?! I cannot be defeated by my own power! I am the mighty Diablos, and everything is _weak_ beneath me!" it roared, obviously still possessive of a fighting spirit inside.

"Silence, creature!" a booming voice responded.

Everyone turned to see the village Elder, dressed in elegant midnight blue robes, striding towards the scene while brushing the remnants of grass from his clothing. His thick gray eyebrows were furrowed, and beneath the equally thick mustache on his upper lip was an angry grimace. Those in his path immediately cleared out, allowing him a straight track towards the writhing monster.

"You are one of Lord Geeda's inhibitors," he said, stating a fact rather than asking a question.

"You may stop me here, but there are others! And no matter how many of my esper siblings you destroy, Lord Geeda will still be more powerful than all of you!" Diablos growled.

"We shall see, demon! Banish!" the elder called, throwing his hands towards the esper.

Diablos began to dig its fingers into the dirt, scratching and clawing like a madman as an amoebic black hole appeared in the air above, closing around its helpless body. The air vibrating with manic intensity as the hole began to shrink, sealing the creature into nothingness as its pleading screams were drowned out when the blackness disappeared and nothing remained.

"Elder! How did you call upon such powerful magic?!"

"Have our powers returned to us?!"

"Are we restored to normal?!"

"Elder, what was that?" Strago asked.

"Friends, please calm yourselves. I have made some interesting discoveries concerning our magical abilities. We will assemble very soon so that I may share them with you!" the Elder explained.

"Oh my gosh, Dad are you ok?!" cried Relm, dashing over to Clyde.

Clyde quickly pulled himself up from the ground, having remained there to watch what ensued when Relm's sketch had dealt its powerful effects. He dusted off his clothes and turned to her with a wide smile.

"Yes, dear… I'm alright. That was some amazing work. You saved us all."

A responsive bark sounded from the bushes, and Interceptor came bounding out into the open, trotting over to Clyde's side when Relm had stopped before him.

"Oh… I'm so sorry! I just… I don't know what… I overreacted to the situation! I didn't understand… I can't…"

"Shhh… it's all ok now Relm. We're here, in good health, and together as a family again," he said, still smiling down at her.

She smiled back and gave him a tight hug around the waist, pressing against him with a loving squeeze. Clyde had not really trained as a parent before, but he returned the affection with a returned embrace and a soft stroke of her hair. Interceptor quickly joined in by pressing his wet nose against Relm's face, licking her cheek while she giggled. They stood there for a long while, holding each other as if never to let go again, to remain a family until the end came.

Earlier, Clyde had felt as if his heart were released from a binding cage that was his lack of emotion, only to be crushed by his own callousness and selfishness when he had left Thamasa so many years ago. Now, witnessing how his daughter's incredible gift had protected them, and how she had quickly learned to forgive his terrible mistake… it was as if he had a whole new heart, one that would contain his unconditional love for Relm and would strengthen him through his development as the father that he had neglected to be. His previous fault had come around as a valuable and empowering lesson.

"Aw… it's so cute," Celes said with a happy laugh, nudging Locke in the side.

"Yeah, precious… and totally unexpected," Locke replied, still boggled from the revelation of Clyde and Relm's relation.

"Clyde, mon! How in de world did this happen?!" Malain asked, shocked like all of the others.

"Let's hear what the Elder has to say first… then Clyde and I will share our story," Strago promised.

_Author's Note:_ _It's been a while! But I'm still working, though the summer has pretty much ended for me, so I have limited free time to write, but I'm trying to use it all as much as I can. I hope that you enjoyed this one, because it made Clyde's final secret known to all, and now I don't have to get comments asking me when Relm would learn the truth! And there's a long way to go till the end, so stick around for it! Enjoy._


	16. Speculation

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XVI – Speculation**

The entire village of Thamasa had gathered outside the Elder's house. The crowd was a dense pack of individuals surrounding his doorstep while he patiently waited. He wanted to take a moment to explain what they had just seen, and was now gathering his thoughts. Alongside the villagers stood the team of heroes, remaining a little off to the side of the main group. In their wait, many of them talked in excited whispers to each other.

"You know, she kind of has his hair… just a little," said Daryl.

"I never noticed! Usually when you _aren't_ looking for similarities is when you find them! It seems so obvious now…" Celes replied.

"Really? They look so different to me…" Locke mumbled, clearly disinterested in their conversation.

"Uh? No understand humans…" Umaro sighed.

"You and me both," Locke added.

As the others made idle chatter, Clyde and Relm began to have their own little discussion.

"You know, it feels kind of weird calling you 'Dad'…" she muttered.

"Well, this whole father thing kind of just jumped out at me, so maybe we should take it easy on the sentimentality? I think I might prefer it if you call me Clyde still," he replied.

"Ok… and we can drop the affectionate nicknames too. I was caught up in the moment earlier, but I dunno, now it feels a little awkward."

"No kidding. I've still got a little bit of 'Shadow' in me, but I just wanted to welcome you back into my heart after abandoning you," he explained.

"That's alright. I guess we both have to kinda ease into this."

"Indeed."

"Plus, you're already turning soft enough… I'd hate to rush that," she said with a sly grin, Interceptor giving an oddly understanding bark.

"You watch it, kid. I used to be a ruthless assassin," he replied, wagging his finger.

From a distance, Owzer and Malain watched the exchange between father and daughter.

"Ah, family… one of de strongest bonds of all time. Not a t'ing can break it," Malain said with a sigh.

"Yes, it's quite touching. Though I feel rather out of it at the moment with such a surprise… I feel like I've hardly been present since we left my home!" said Owzer.

"Well, you have been waitin' on de ship most of de time."

"Yes… perhaps I should make myself more useful. Oh, what I would give to have your youth, Malain."

"Well, sometimes wit' youth comes foolishness."

"All too true…" Owzer agreed.

There was a sudden ripple through the crowd as all eyes quickly focused on the village Elder, who had just cleared his throat to garner their attention. He spread his arms wide to address them all visually.

"My friends of Thamasa, and our allies across the World Sea… I am glad that you are all well and safe after this nearly unanticipated attack!"

"World Sea? Haven't heard that before… it has a nice ring," whispered Edgar.

"The Elder coined it himself," replied a man in dark green armor next to him, the Chancellor of Figaro.

"Though we have been isolated for some time since Lord Geeda made his first appearances, I believe I have uncovered the issue behind the mysterious habits of magic at present!" the Elder continued, producing a few murmurs from the civilians.

"We do not know exactly _who_ this Thomas Geeda is, or where exactly he comes from. But, his ability to communicate with and lead the espers is not entirely unprecedented, especially when the era of the War of the Magi is considered, because there were many magical creatures that served masters just as these wild fiends do for Geeda. And though the espers eventually made peace and retreated to their own world after the war, Emperor Gestahl intruded upon their land and captured espers for his use, an event that many of us remember quite well."

As the Elder said this, he gave a very knowing look to Terra. She shuddered at this reminder, quickly averting her eyes from his. Clyde fought the urge to move to her side… maybe he was getting soft. Ultimately, he stayed put, cursing his emotions. The Elder continued.

"However, after the defeat of that manic clown, Kefka, the espers disappeared from our world and magic ceased to exist. But somehow, Tom Geeda has been able to create empty, nearly lifeless shells of these espers and bend them to his will, while their controlled, tame spirits reside in the sealed World of Espers that is being slowly rebuilt. This information has been confirmed by our allies here," he said, gesturing to the team.

"How is he able to do this? Well, to answer that query fully we would have to understand what he is. But, to create these esper 'shells' he has somehow drawn magic back into this world to sustain their life. And when the shells are destroyed, that magic has nowhere to go… therefore it returns to the earth as it had when the World of Espers was an open dimension."

"Wait, how is magic existing in our world when the World of Espers is sealed though? I mean, how did Geeda pull magic here in the first place?" asked a bystander.

"That is the mystery. I have hypothesized that perhaps the World of Espers is not quite as tightly sealed as we imagined? And this leads me to wonder whether Thomas Geeda seeks to discover a way into the World of Espers, for who knows what reason?"

"Kupo…"

"I'm not sure we follow," said Gungho, Strago's friend.

Several mutterings backed this statement.

"I think he's saying that Thomas Geeda created these corrupted espers, these 'shells', to draw magic into this world… probably as a test of his power. And when he realized that it worked and that magic was able to remain as it had in the past, he probably figured that there was some sort of rift between our two worlds, or maybe he had created the rift. And now he wants to find that rift and enter the World of the Espers," said Celes.

"She caught all of that? Sometimes I feel kind of dumb around her," Locke said to Setzer.

"And we don't know what Tom would do if he was able to enter the World of the Espers?" said Sabin.

"I believe we are all quite assured that it would be an unfortunate circumstance," said Siegfried, earning many noises of agreement from those present.

"Hey, so we're on the right track!" Setzer exclaimed.

"Yes. Your efforts in battling the espers and Thomas Geeda's Legion of the People has steadily been restoring magic to our persons. I am sure you have felt it?" the Elder replied.

"Yes Elder. Some of us are rediscovering our abilities as our journey continues," Strago answered.

"Does Geeda know about this? Is he aware of the effects of the esper's deaths?" asked Daryl, stepping forward as the area became more of a forum for the team and the Elder, the civilians standing aside to watch.

"Given his elusive nature, we can never be positive on this… but if he does know, he likely is so confident that he will not see your use of magic a threat. You must take advantage of this and continue to whittle down his forces while he is unsuspecting of the consequences. If we are able to defeat every esper he has restored, then I feel that our magic will nearly be fully restored in turn, and you will be as powerful as you had been in your final battle against Kefka," said the Elder.

"We could have our powers returned as well, without being magically adept in the first place?" Cyan asked.

"Yes. That is what I believe," replied the Elder.

"Oooh, that is so cool! I can't wait to use magic again!" Sabin exclaimed.

"Elder, where do you suggest we strike next then?" Clyde asked.

"We're already on that," said Locke.

"Have you explained your idea, Marcus?" The Elder asked.

The Chancellor nodded in response.

"Well, what's the plan then?" Setzer said somewhat impatiently.

"Narshe," Edgar replied.

This agitated some of them.

"Narshe? Kupo… It's been so long!"

"What do you mean Narshe?"

"We just got the hell _out_ of Narshe!"

"You think we can take them all on like _this_?"

"Hey, hey… we took on Kefka's Tower with less than we have now!"

"Seriously! What are you guys whining about?" said Relm.

"Maybe it would be better to save our arguing out of such a public atmosphere?" Daryl suggested, noticing the watchful eyes all around them.

The villagers seemed to have grown somewhat tense watching the argument, and almost wary of the heroes. Clyde knew what it looked like, a bunch of noble and heroic figures starting to banter like children. Could they honestly be trusted with the task of protecting their world? Yes, they could. Clyde was determined to prove it.

"Certainly if you do not find yourself prepared, do not put yourself in such danger," said the Elder.

"We are prepared, sir. We'll take care of Narshe promptly and rescue those who have been imprisoned and made to work against their will," Locke replied, giving a look of affirmation to the others, which some grudgingly accepted.

"Yeah, we can do it," Sabin grumbled, kicking around some dirt.

The tension seemed to cease immediately once it appeared everyone was on board for the plan. The Thamasans even offered up free items and discounts on their wares, wanting to help in the preparations for the continued journey ahead. In the aftermath of the battle, the village gradually restored to its normal routine, and the heroes were finally beginning to board The Liberator in the late afternoon.

"So, you think you'll be alright by yourself, Marcus?" asked Edgar outside the ship.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will fare quite well I think. My boat is swift, and it would take most pirates and that Legion double the power those ships have to catch me," Marcus the Chancellor replied.

"If you're sure, then I wish you good luck, friend. I knew you wouldn't betray me," Edgar said, shaking his hand.

"Bah, luck shouldn't be wasted on me. You and your friends are the ones with the real cause. I wish _you_ good luck, sir. Saving those slaves will do so much for our success against Thomas, and I think you should take great honor in striving for such a thing."

"Thank you. Stay safe at sea!"

"Stay safe amongst the clouds!" the Chancellor replied, turning away from Edgar and jogging back towards Thamasa.

Edgar boarded the airship as Strago delivered his farewells to Gungho and the Elder. More exchanges of good fortune were made, and the men saluted each other in their departure. At last, all was ready, and the villagers watched in awe as the great airship made its ascent. Everyone admired The Liberator's technological grandeur, and there was a collective gasp throughout Thamasa as it took off with a roar, the fire in its engines flaring up in a brilliant flash before the ship sped off into the distance over the World Sea.

"I think we have enough potions and other items to keep us alive until Doomsday!" said Daryl, carefully juggling a set of Antidote vials in her arms, ferrying them into the compartments in the entry hall of the ship.

"Heh. Doomsday might be closer than we think," said Edgar.

"Nonsense! It is fully within our power to prevent such an atrocity!" Cyan proclaimed proudly.

"Come on bro, don't be cynical about this!" Sabin said, punching Edgar in the arm.

"Argh! I'm not being cynical! I was just… making a statement!" Edgar replied, rubbing the point of impact.

"Ooh… shiny thing!" came a voice from the closed door to the lounge.

"Gau! Be careful with that Gold Needle!"

"Kupo! No poke!"

"Shiny poker!"

"Gau, put that down!"

"Ouch!!! I'm not petrified!!"

"Ooh… kuuupo, she mad."

"Aw… shiny go away?"

"Yeah! Right on my-!"

Then came the sound of several breaking glasses and a loud scuffle in the room.

"Doomsday is definitely closer than we think," said Daryl, rolling her eyes as Gau's frightened yelps echoed through the ship accompanied by Relm's aggravated threats.

"Kuuuupoooo!"

"Sabin, go check on the kids…"

The flight to Narshe was uninterrupted, and The Liberator landed inconspicuously amongst the mass of mountains surrounding the city. They all braced themselves before exiting out into the bitter chill of the region, all of them silently praising the slight heat from the sun that made the atmosphere almost bearable.

"Alright, whatever happens here… Owzer, I want you to keep an eye on the ship. If the Legion or any espers begin to cause problems, there is an auto-pilot switch that will take you straight back to New Vector," Setzer explained.

"Oh, but I couldn't leave you all behind!" Owzer protested.

"Hah, don't worry about us! We're good at getting out of sticky situations," Locke said with a confident grin.

"We will manage here, Sir Owzer. Don't fear for us. And Interceptor will stay here too," Clyde added.

"Very well… I will await your return. Please do be careful! I wouldn't trust this thing without Setzer at the controls."

They all had a slight chuckle at that and bade Owzer goodbye before departing down the nearby mountain path, trudging through the heavy snow with the wind at their backs.

"So Clyde… you said you were gonna tell us your story, man!" said Sabin, speaking only loud enough to where Clyde could hear him.

"At a more appropriate time, Sabin…"

"Sabin, don't be a nuisance," Celes ordered from the front of the group, marching alongside Locke.

"Aw come on! I was just-"

"Shh!" Locke hissed, stopping them all right at the edge of a curve in the path.

The group halted immediately and waited. Locke seemed to be listening for something, and they all stood idly by while he strained his ear to the left path. Clyde then noticed that there was a second path that made kind of a steep fall just past the ridge they were stopped at. He edged closer towards it, moving as quietly as he could.

"Clyde?"

"I can hear the mines. They're that way," Locke said finally, pointing down the left way.

Now that he brought it to their attention, most of the others could hear the hums and clangs of machinery and tools, accompanied by the occasional shouts of irritated Legion soldiers and pained screams of the working slaves.

"Locke, this path here leads all the way to the front of the city," said Clyde.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it might be wise for us to split up? One group causes some havoc in the city, distracting the Legion from the mines, and the other group begins to free the slaves?"

"You really have to be careful with that whole splitting up business, though," said Setzer.

"I don't know… I believe it could work," Terra added with a shy smile to Clyde, who saw fit to return the gesture.

"We'd have to do this tactfully though… make sure the ones in Narshe itself don't get captured."

"Well, with your superb lock-picking skills… I think you could lead one group to the mines, Locke. And Clyde, you could lead the assault on the city itself, and we'll send the more agile of our numbers with you, while those of us with magic and strength will help the slaves?" Celes suggested.

"Lass, your brilliance never ceases to amaze me," Siegfried said, causing Celes to bashfully shake her head.

"Alright. I think… Terra, Strago, Celes, Relm, Umaro, Edgar, Sabin, and Daryl should come with me. And the rest of you will follow Clyde. It's a little uneven, but the less of you there are in Narshe, the less risky it will be for one of you to get caught," said Locke.

"I agree fully. Let us hurry to it then," replied Clyde.

"We'll wait till we see your chaos in the city before we make our move," said Locke.

Clyde nodded and Locke began making his way down the left path, his chosen team following behind with their weapons ready. When it was just Clyde and his team left at the fork, they too left for their mission.

"Stay vigilant and have your weapons at hand," he told them, drawing his sword.

"Man, I hope this all works out. Something's got me nervous," said Setzer, who was fiddling with his Fixed Dice very apprehensively.

"I do not doubt that Sir Thomas will have an esper somewhere near," said Cyan.

"I don't understand how anyone c-could live here," said Malain.

"K-k-kupo…" Mog shivered.

"Owauu… Gau freeze with moogle," said Gau.

The trek was longer than they expected, or at least it felt so. By the time they had arrived close to the city, there was still plentiful sun behind the gray sky, and they had walked for less than half an hour. However, despite the short time, the cold had made them quite weary. The small group stayed close to one another in order to feed of the warmth of body heat, but it did little to alleviate the shivers that overcame them as the wind pierced their clothes.

"I t-think we should sh-sh-shelter up-p-p for a little while. Locke s-s-said they wouldn't act unt-t-til we did, so we m-m-m-might as well t-t-take t-time to rec-c-cover," Clyde chattered.

"N-n-no k-kidding man," Setzer replied, sneaking towards a small house that rested on the outskirts of Narshe.

They followed his lead and carefully peeked through the windows, noticing that the building had been left uninhabited for quite some time. The group forced the stuck door open and piled inside, sheltered from the biting wind.

Meanwhile, Locke's team had made it inside the caves much sooner, and were now waiting amongst an old storage area that had been in use in the old Narshe, but was now full of broken crates and equipment. They were surrounded by the echoes from the mines.

"See anything yet?" Strago asked.

"Nah, nothing yet," Sabin replied, keeping watch near the outside with a perfect view of the busy city nestled amongst the mountains.

"How long has it been, do you think?" Edgar wondered.

"Probably no more than half an hour," Celes guessed.

"Feels longer," said Locke, kicking a small rock out of his way as he paced around.

"That's because you're fidgety. Try to relax," Celes replied, walking over to him and placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Yeah, no use getting worked up just yet," said Daryl.

"Bah, it's so freakin' cold!" Relm whined.

"Complaining won't make it go away," Sabin called back.

"You hush, meathead!"

"Ugah! Umaro have fur," said Umaro, scooting over to Relm's side and pulling her into his lap.

"Oh wow! Soooo warm!" Relm said with delight, cuddling up to the white yeti fur.

"Don't fall asleep on us, Relm… we're about to initiate one of the biggest jailbreaks ever," Edgar warned.

"I'm fine!"

"Ok, I'm getting impatient. Come on Clyde, work your magic… or whatever…" Locke grumbled.

"Clyde won't fail us," Terra said simply, sitting slightly away from the group with an odd, dreamy look in her eye.

"She's right. We'll get to kick some ass in due time," said Celes.

"Why are you so wonderful?" Locke said with a smile.

A short time later, Clyde and friends exited their shelter with a newfound vigor. They all took arms and began to course through the maze of houses in Narshe. The plan was for them to sneak up towards the northern edge of the city, close to the mines, and create their diversion there, running back south through the streets to draw the Legion out of the mines as they chased after them. Everyone involved considered it a sound plan, but things went awry when somebody noticed a peculiar multitude of footprints close to the entrance.

"Ah! You're… you're them! HEY! WE HAVE INTRUDERS OVER HERE!" shouted the guard who had followed the prints, having caught the group just behind a wide building.

"Well… damn!" Clyde said before rushing the guard and cutting him down with his sword.

"Ah hah! And now they bring the fight!" Siegfried declared triumphantly as a mass of Legion soldiers came around and began their attack.

Up in the caves, Sabin woke his comrades from their idle stupor.

"Hey guys, we better get ready to do our part soon! I just saw a roof explode…"

_Author's Note: Aah… once again, it has been so long. I do apologize for my absence again. I've been caught up in so much stress these past few months with stupid personal problems that I hope shall never plague me again. I am now a free man and I hope to focus much more concentration on this story again, due to a renewed sort of life within me. I tried to clear up a little continuity jumble with Owzer being oddly absent from the previous two chapters, so he's still in the story! Hopefully I will update much sooner and actually live up to my promises. Keep reviewing and letting me know what you think!_


	17. The Battle of Narshe

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XVII – The Battle of Narshe**

Clyde dove into the street as rubble came hailing down from the partially obliterated building. A few unfortunate souls fell beneath the raining destruction, and this gave the heroes only seconds to free themselves of the containment of the alleyway before they were assailed by Legion reinforcements.

"Figa!" yelled a mage, directing the blast towards Gau.

The wild boy scampered around the corner of another building, barely avoiding the blast. The fire magic burst through the wall of the structure and sent more heavy pieces of wood flying through the air. Soon, a multitude of spells was upon them, and it was near impossible to take cover due to the sudden swarm of soldiers that arrived to do battle.

"Come! This way!" Cyan called from across the street, hoping to direct his allies to a safe exit point.

"Oh no you don't!" growled a nearby soldier, charging Cyan with his sword in hand.

Cyan whirled around in a blur and disarmed the man of his weapon with a single stroke. The soldier stood frozen in astonishment before a stray blast of Thundra pummeled him to the ground. Cyan smirked at his good fortune, but his luck became ill timed when he was body slammed from behind. Malain, who was closest to him, leapt across the street and delivered a flying kick to the face of Cyan's attacker, sending the soldier forcefully hurtling through a pile of junk set against a nearby wall.

"I do say, thou hast impeccable timing," Cyan said with a grateful smile.

"One learns to be quick when de world is in danger," Malain replied.

Siegfried and Mog began to follow Cyan's lead, sprinting across the street as a group of soldiers chased them down. When they reached the other side, the four heroes gathered were more than a match for the small opposition. They brought their enemies down quickly, though they had little choice but to run when it seemed that the numbers of the Legion were becoming endless as an even larger group came after them.

"Kuuupooo!" Mog yelped, dodging a heavy spear.

Closer to the north, Clyde and Setzer were greatly outnumbered but holding their own. The two of them suffered many attacks, yet they persisted in their fight, with their valor being boosted as more of the Legion were being drawn from their stations in the mines.

"I think our diversion worked… hopefully," Setzer said to Clyde beneath the calamitous roar of battle, before hurling his dice at a female mage and knocking her straight up against the cliffside.

Elsewhere, amongst the dark and dismal atmosphere of the mines, the chaos began anew. Several guards were incapacitated by the combined effects of the magic-users, and soon chains and padlocks were being broken throughout the caves, setting free the suddenly rebellious mass of prisoners. It was not long at all before those who had been stripped of their freedom began to contribute to the battle.

"Flare!" Terra shouted, blasting four approaching guards.

Locke danced around nimbly with his Scarlet Blades, hacking through every villain that approached. Covered by Edgar's Auto Bow Gun, the two were an unstoppable force in the caves. The others followed close behind, the magic-users calling upon their powers to deliver their attacks from afar as they delved deeper into the massive complex. Along the way, many of the prisoners had taken up their own weapons and were mercilessly assaulting their captors. It was a riot unlike any ever witnessed before as the Legion of the People became steadily overwhelmed from their limited numbers, due to the diversion in Narshe.

"Take that! And that! And this!" Sabin hollered as he launched various Blitz techniques at any target he could find.

"Hey! Watch your aim!" Daryl scolded as the earthen wall behind her exploded from a stray Air Blade.

"You will all pay for this!" roared a guard brandishing a heavy club.

Celes promptly shut the man up with a Blizzga spell.

"The battle is ours!" a recently released prisoner cheered, hurling a pickaxe at a nearby guard.

Outside, Clyde leapt nimbly over a row of barrels and quickly whirled around to kick them back towards his pursuers. Three mages were knocked off their feet, and only a swordsman was left to continue the chase, but he was immediately silenced when Siegfried appeared from nowhere and gave him a taste of steel.

"Good work!" said Clyde, nearly tripping over his own feet as he stopped to regroup with Siegfried.

"'Tis no time for congratulations yet, sir!" Siegfried replied as he dashed around the corner of a building with Clyde following suit.

The two men crossed the main street of Narshe just as Gau disposed of an approaching soldier with magic spawned from his Rage. Clyde got the wild boy's attention so that he would follow them to temporary safety as more of their enemies appeared from the north. And just as the trio was about to take cover, a giant shadow descended over the city. They skidded to a halt as an intense golden beam of energy suddenly fired at the ground before them. As the heroes collapsed against each other in the chaos, Clyde looked up to see the gargantuan form of Alexander towering over them at the edge of Narshe, the sneering face of the magician Zirgen Thade looking down at them from atop the great esper.

"Lord Geeda sends his regards!" Thade called to them with a sinister cackle.

Gau was on all fours in an instant, and he scrambled for the cover of a nearby building. Siegfried threw himself into a backwards somersault, rolling up onto his feet and swiftly helping Clyde up to his. The approaching guards were soon upon them, and they ferociously cut their way through the battalion, looking back at the esper apprehensively. The troops fell easily to their blades, but another blast from Alexander erupted the snowy ground beneath them and tossed them through the air like rag dolls.

"Hey! Jackass!" Setzer yelled, swinging his arm back and hurling his Fixed Dice as hard as he could at Zirgen Thade.

Thade had no time to react before the weapons reached him and unleashed a quick burst of energy that knocked him clear off Alexander's metal shell. As he plummeted to the ground, he cast a quick Telepo spell that warped him to the ground safely at the entrance of the town. With a sly grin, Zirgen dispatched the gambler with a well-aimed Blizzga. Cyan, Mog, and Malain began to show themselves in order to help their friends, but Alexander was ready and waiting, firing another holy blast that obliterated an entire house that the three were hiding behind. They had mere seconds of grace before Thade began spouting out random spells, beckoning for the Legion to assist him. They had barely taken cover behind another structure before it was also blown apart like the previous one.

"Oh dear! This is most dire!" said Cyan, making a mad dash for more cover with Malain on his heels.

"As long as our diversion has done its work, we have done our duty mon!" Malain replied as a burst of fire whizzed past his head.

"Ow! Kupoo!" Mog yelped, being singed on the tail.

"Uwaoo!" cried Gau as he tackled one of the approaching soldiers, angrily slapping him around.

Upon hearing Gau, the three of them were about to turn about and pull him to safety, but something suddenly emerged from the shadows and went flying into Malain's chest, knocking him against the wall of a house with an echoing thud. He let out a cry of pain as a little green-blue furred creature spun backwards through the air and landed on the ground into a fierce crouch.

"Carbuncle!" Cyan said in alarm, noting that the rabbit-like esper now looked unexpectedly ferocious, snarling at them.

The tiny creature leapt for him with a toothed mouth open wide. Cyan did not hesitate to deflect it with his sword, which launched the creature onto the roof of a nearby building. He began to flee, but it recovered quickly, bounding down the side of the wall and making another attack. He quickly ducked Carbuncle and crawled away swiftly across the snow.

"Clyde! Siegfried! Where are you?" Cyan yelled.

"You cannot hide from us! We will find you all and destroy you promptly! Lord Geeda _will_ have your heads today!" Zirgen Thade said from a distance, Cyan keeping his head low as he sneaked alongside the houses.

As he made his way closer to the north side of the town, there was a noticeable commotion in that direction. There was some shouting, very far off, and the Legion members that had assembled to take out Clyde's group began to break away as some of them returned to the mines in a hurry. Then, a monstrous roar came from above, and many of the soldiers looked up far too late to see the giant yeti dropping from the mountain.

"UGAAAAAAH!" Umaro cried as he tackled the group, swinging his massive fists wildly.

Cyan smiled and quickly stood up straight, running to aid Umaro in his battle. When he reached his companion, Gau was there to join them, and they made short work of the small regiment. A loud explosion suddenly sounded from the north, and then there were Legion guards running all over the place. Most of them came pouring out of the mines, but others were dashing across the overhead walkways of the city, shouting orders to each other back and forth with their weapons in hand. Immediately after the commotion arose, the soldiers on the walkways were joined by mobs of furious slaves, all wielding makeshift armaments that they put to good use.

"It was a diversion! They tricked us!" cried a soldier before being thrown from the walkway.

Clyde had just recovered from his spill by Alexander's attack, and he was eager to meet the approaching mass of the stampeding Legion. Siegfried, Malain, and Setzer made their recoveries as well, and with Mog they joined up with the rest of their comrades.

"Alexander! DESTROY THEM NOW!" Zirgen Thade shrieked, his face a mixture of disbelief, defeat, and pure fury.

The esper was happy to oblige, and Clyde directed his friends out of the path of its laser only just in time. As the holy beam fired, it obliterated some of the approaching guards, and that was when chaos took over.

A series of mages teleported to Thade's side, lining up with him and entering deeper into the city with menace. Also, Locke's team had just appeared from the north, decimating the Legion ranks as they fled into Narshe, assisted by the increasing numbers of slaves. The fleeing guards soon met up with Thade, the entire mass of them harbored by Alexander's great shadow. The first of the slaves to try to rush those ranks was annihilated by the esper, and subsequent holy blasts dispersed the heroic crowd, and they immediately took cover behind whatever structures they could find.

Alexander fired again and destroyed yet another house, the destruction of which collapsed on top of the slaves who were hiding behind it. Carbuncle then made a reappearance, and leapt across the assembly of the Legion of the People, casting a Reflect spell that was applied to every single one of the soldiers. Thade and his magicians did not hesitate to launch an unrestrained magical assault that resulted in brilliant flashes of power scattered throughout the town of Narshe, crippling any that wandered into its area of effect. And now protected with magical defense, the fight was brought back to the heroes as the Legion charged into the depths of the maze-like city. Absolute chaos.

"Woah shit!" Setzer yelped as three arrows came flying at him and he dropped behind a nearby barrel to protect himself.

"Well, we got the slaves out of the mines, but now we're caught in this crap!" Locke growled as he joined Setzer to help him to a safety zone.

Terra, not realizing Carbuncle's presence, cast a trio of Figa spells as three swordsmen came for her. The force of the reflection hit her in full, and she was incapacitated in the snow from the returned magic, the soldiers snickering and grinning as they closed in on her. Clyde came flying from the shadows and ran his sword through the closest, felling him in the blink of an eye. He pulled his weapon from the body and quickly deflected another's sword as it came at him. The man stumbled around from the blow, and Clyde sliced him across the back with aggressive force, which dropped the soldier to the ground. In the heat of the moment, Clyde had forgotten about the third assailant and began to carry Terra away.

"Hey, where you goin', jackass?" the guard taunted.

Clyde had no time for a reply, because he took off running as soon as he heard the familiar creak of metal as Alexander prepared its attack. And not a second later, the guard was hit full on by the blast.

"Bad karma," Clyde muttered with a grin.

The overall battle did not improve for the good guys. With every opponent covered by Reflect, magic was essentially useless with the exception of Strago's few successful Lores. Therefore, everyone was forced to attack in close combat, and with random spells from the Legion appearing everywhere, there was very little to no safe ground.

"Reflect!" Celes cried, having failed five times to cast Reflect on her own allies to use the Legion's tactics against them.

"Celes! Don't worry about that! Just keep moving on your feet!" Edgar said to her as he elbowed a solider in the abdomen.

A sudden explosion of Figa caught them off guard, and the two were thrown into the snow by the blast, with a swarm of enemies soon upon them. The sneering archers began to reach for their trapped prey, but were halted by a hail of rocks and buckets that came from above. Edgar looked up, grateful to see the released slaves emptying their loads of coal over the city, showering the crowds of the Legion with the unconventional earthen weapon of fossil fuels.

"You damn, filthy rats!" Zirgen Thade growled, willing Alexander's holy beams across the mountains, where small avalanches of snow began to flow towards the city.

"You've got to be kidding!" Sabin yelled as the first wave of snow and earth dropped over the town like a blanket.

This made the chaos all the more frantic, and it was almost an animalistic frenzy as the Legion and the liberators and liberated struck out at each other. It was a gruesome scene as the casualties steadily increased for both sides, and there was hardly room to move about with the debris and bodies strewn across the ground, now being covered by thickening layers of snow. This, coupled with the persistent chill, made both sides weary very quickly. Even with the Legion's advantage of magical resistance, there developed an impasse in the battle, and it seemed to have no end in sight. Now neither side had the upper hand.

"This doth tire me greatly! We must attempt to bring our assault to Thade himself!" Siegfried said with gasping breaths.

"I'm all for that, but how do you expect us to get through all of _this_?" Daryl said incredulously, gesturing to the wall of combating individuals that kept Zirgen Thade fairly protected from the battle.

"Not to mention that rabid creature there!" Strago added, pointing his staff towards Carbuncle, who was bounding across the battlefield, hindering their allies wherever and however it could.

"Look out!"

The group quickly ducked one of Alexander's blasts.

"You guys alright over there?!" Locke called from across the city, doing battle alongside Clyde and Cyan.

"A-OK!" Daryl shouted back, gesturing for the others with her to follow her lead out of Alexander's sight.

"Gramps! Where'd you go?"

"Relm! Stay out of Alexander's line of vision!" Strago cried out.

Alexander quickly caught sight of Relm and aimed its holy laser at her. Malain's close proximity to the girl saved her from obliteration as he jumped across the snow and snatched her into his arms, while the blast fried the ground that she once stood upon.

"Holy crap! Thanks Malain!" she said with eyes wide.

"No problem. I'm just doin' me service to me friends."

He set her down carefully behind the cover of a house, and was about to rejoin the battle, but was startled when Carbuncle tackled a nearby slave and began clawing at his face viciously. Malain did not act immediately, but as he witnessed this, an idea formulated in his head. He told Relm to stay put and ran swiftly out of his cover. He leapt forward and pulled Carbuncle off the slave, tucking the esper tightly against his chest to contain its feral thrashing. With a smooth roll across the ground, Malain was quickly back on his feet, and he tossed the creature up into the air, grinning as it flailed around in confusion and descended from gravity's pull.

"Malain! What the hell are you _doing_?! You're completely in the open!!" Setzer called out.

This, he was well aware of, and he heard Alexander's mechanisms give a slight creak as it targeted him. As Carbuncle came back down, he pivoted like lightning on one foot and kicked the esper with the precision of a soccer player, right into the path of Alexander's holy beam. And with the same impressive dexterity, Malain was quickly out of the way, while Carbuncle was vaporized almost instantly from the intense magical laser.

"_Brilliant_," Locke said in awe, noting that the blue glow of reflect had dissipated from the Legion.

And the tide of battle turned in an instant. The momentary confusion from the disintegration of the Reflect spell's effect cost the Legion their most valuable time. The assault from the heroes was intensified ten-fold, and with Celes and Terra recovering with the aid of high potions, they paved through their foes with their magic, Daryl and Strago acting as their back up. Legion soldiers fell left and right to numerous Flares and Pearls, along with the swords, arrows, pickaxes, and other lethal objects that came along. Even as Alexander desperately launched its familiar barrage of holy missiles, there was no stopping the heroes now. Legion members began to flee fearfully, stupefied by the vigorous assault while Zirgen Thade screamed orders for them to stay put, to no avail.

"STOP! DAMN YOU COWARDS! HOW DARE YOU RUN FROM BATTLE! LORD GEEDA WILL HAVE YOU ALL EXECUTED!" the magician screeched.

Edgar Figaro ran ahead of the group and braved the gauntlet of Alexander's holy missiles that rained now in a ceaseless stream. He slid across the ground and barely dodged a spell aimed for him, firing his Auto Bow Gun with reckless abandon. In his rush assault, he wound up directly beneath the gargantuan metal esper, and with expert precision, launched his giant Air Anchor tool into the creature's underside. The device hammered the plates of Alexander's belly, and it let out a discomforting creak of its armor, attempting to walk forward while streams of soldiers escaped from the city.

"Got you, bastard!" Edgar cheered triumphantly.

Alexander's joints groaned loudly, and as its foot made contact with the ground, the esper looked as if the weight it bore became too much, and with a loud roar its entire body collapsed into a massive heap, the force of the fall sending a wall of blinding snow in every direction. The sound of shattered metal echoed inside the city and up across the mountains, and everyone stopped for a moment as the dust of the snow began to settle, revealing the fallen titan, like a great, black shadow amongst the white snow.

"They destroyed Alexander?! I'M OUTTA HERE!" cried a soldier, who was followed by the entirety of the accompanying army, frightened by such a display of power from such a motley band.

"ARGH! Enjoy your victory while you can! Thomas will take care of this, I assure you!" Zirgen Thade threatened before turning on his heels and following the wave of retreating warriors.

And in that moment, the chaos had ended, and the battle was done. The team and their rescued miners stood triumphantly amongst their handiwork in the city, watching as the last numbers of the Legion disappeared into the distance. It was an unsettling scene, the fatalities in their midst numerous, and the destruction nearly irreparable, but the mission had been accomplished that day, and many lives were saved regardless.

"Bro?! Are you alright?!" Sabin cried out, running up to the destroyed Esper.

"Over… here… buddy!" Edgar croaked from the side, having crawled out of harm's way, but now lying beneath some of the rubble of Alexander's armor.

"Damn man! That was super awesome!" Sabin said with a laugh, running to his brother's aid and pulling him free of the debris.

"The city is ours!" one of the former slaves shouted, earning roars of approval from his fellow captives, which all of the heroes applauded and smiled for.


	18. Progress and Restoration

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XVIII – Progress and Restoration**

_SMACK_

Zirgen Thade went reeling backwards across the study with a large red mark on his cheek, falling against Bediveus' short form. The knight yelped in protest, and Lanceus and Galleus held the man steady before he toppled over their comrade. Thade stared, open mouthed, at his assailant, Thomas Geeda.

"What the _hell_, Thade!? I left you in charge of those pitiful slaves under the assumption that you would be responsible for keeping them contained! And not only do those heroic bastards escape the _first_ time… but they come back and spring out the rest of them!! And they obliterate almost an entire army!!!" Geeda roared.

"Master, please… you must forgive me. We have greatly underestimated their powers," Zirgen pleaded.

"Underestimated their powers, have we!? What about _your_ powers, you fool!? The powers that I saw fit to restore to you, in hopes that you would serve me well!" Thomas continued.

"Master. They are becoming stronger. Their magic control is nigh flawless at this point. And your espers… well, they lack intellect. They cannot differentiate between friendly and enemy targets."

"Oh no? Then perhaps I should feed you to Leviathan! Or maybe I'll have Ignus smelt you into a new sword! I suppose Yura would have no problem launching you into the cosmos! Those creatures are smart enough to know who they work for, and if you cannot keep them under control, then I may have to find myself a new sorcerer lieutenant!"

The knights of the Trine remained silent while Thomas continued to berate Thade, fearing that any input on their part would only incite the master's rage further.

"With all due respect, sire… you have not given me the chance to fully extend my powers. Let me try once more. Let me show them the true capabilities of my dark magic," said Thade.

Tom did not reply immediately. He glanced out of the window of his study into the darkening night sky, deep in thought. Zirgen Thade almost held his breath in the anticipation, and nobody moved a muscle while Geeda pondered. It took a few moments, but the master seemed to suddenly calm down, and he faced Thade with a smile.

"Very well, Zirgen. I will give you one more chance. But I swear, if you fail to eradicate them… do _not_ report back to me, because I will most certainly have these men deal with you," Geeda explained, gesturing to the Trine.

"I will not fail you, Lord Geeda," Thade declared.

"I hope not. Now get out."

_**Meanwhile**_

In the wake of the tumultuous fight, there came the unpleasant job of cleaning their battlefield. And those who had just been freed of their forced labor in the mines were not so keen on pushing their bodies further. It was difficult to motivate the weary civilians, but the heroes remained optimistic and light to make the atmosphere much more comfortable.

"This could be so much worse, you know! It could be cold," said Edgar.

"S-s-shutup!" Sabin shivered, rubbing his chilly bare arms while looking for something to busy himself with.

"Imagine us doing this in sweltering heat!" Setzer said with a shrug.

"Oh, you bet I'm imagining it. Yearning for it," Locke retorted.

"Jus' tinkin' about me home only seems to make it colder!" added Malain.

"Maybe we should skin Umaro and wear him for a coat!" said Relm, earning a series of strange looks.

"I was kidding!" she said quickly, Umaro keeping his eyes locked on her warily as he did his work.

The work was not only trying on the body, but there was also the emotional weight to it. Helping to gather up the corpses of friend and foe alike was certainly not on a list of preferred activities, and some of the civilians even had to abandon the task due to discovery of a fallen relative or close friend. None of it went easy, and certainly not expediently, however the work was eventually finished after a long, cold tenure. Fortunately, many of the houses and other buildings in town were ready with hot fires and refreshments for those on the job. It was a much-appreciated wave of relief as the heat warmed their near-frozen bodies.

"So, we've freed Narshe," said Clyde as the company sat in the house formerly occupied by Jarvis.

"Here is to liberty!" Cyan said, holding up a mug of warm tea.

"Hear, hear!" Edgar added, raising his cup along with the others who had them.

"So, what now?" said Daryl.

"We ought to go somewhere that we haven't checked on, I'd say," said Setzer.

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing. Kohlingen came to mind, actually," Locke added.

"I'll go anywhere as long as I get a good night's rest tonight," said Strago.

"I do concur!" Owzer replied.

"Bah, you old geezers! Did you _ever_ enjoy a night life!?" said Relm.

"Certainly. But then again, we weren't saving the world at the time!" Strago countered, earning a few chuckles from the team.

"Sleep sounds wonderful. I am so incredibly tired out," said Celes.

"No way! The_ General_ is worn out already!?" Locke teased.

"Oh, certainly. So worn out, she might be sleeping _by_ _herself_ tonight," she quipped, and there followed hearty laughter.

"Wait… tonight? What's been going on during the nights _before _this?" Setzer said while trying to mask his amusement.

The laughter and jokes continued for a while into the night before the heroes returned to the Liberator that Owzer had parked at the city entrance, having discovered how to program the autopilot to a different location through some bored tinkering. (Setzer was a little nervous about that, thinking that he could have very well accidentally set Narshe on fire.) Many of the citizens of Narshe caught on to the infectious joy as it spread, finding themselves happier than they'd been in a long while. They soon began to laugh and joke as well amongst their own company, discovering contentment that had seemed so lost to them before. Free, they were. Free, they would remain. And as the city finally dozed off to sleep, the dreams of freedom were more real than ever.

The next day, Clyde awoke with a wet tongue lapping at his face. He opened one eye to see Interceptor's snout hovering above him, tongue still working. He forced a smile and quickly sat up, interrupting the dog's "good morning".

"I'd almost thought we had gotten past that stage in our relationship," he said in a whisper, chuckling as Interceptor cocked his head to the side curiously.

He took a glance at the digital clock on the wall of the ship's chamber. 7:00. The morning was still young, but he felt plenty rested by now and saw no need to continue his slumber. So thinking, he got to his feet and let the sleepiness drift away. Most everyone else was still asleep in their bunks.

He smirked as he watched his friends sleep. Sabin was cuddling Mog, who did not seemed to mind the subconscious affection, so long as he got some. Relm had snuggled up with Umaro on the floor, and though any other father might be concerned, Clyde knew she was safe in the yeti's arms. Gau was actually draped over Umaro's legs, looking very content in his dreamland as he pawed at the air, and the two couples, Setzer and Daryl and Locke and Celes, had decided to share the larger bunks, still embracing each other in sleep. Clyde supposed that Celes was not too bitter about Locke's comment after all, he thought with amusement.

The only other person awake in the chamber was Cyan, who seemed to be meditating in the corner, eyes shut. Clyde was unsure if this was a new thing, or if he had simply never seen him doing this before, but it was strangely relaxing watching the warrior sitting in his own, calm little world. He might have to ask him about it some time and see if it might help him out, too. But, now was hardly the time for that. He made sure all was well inside before he quietly opened the door to the main hall of the ship. From there, he went to the exit and pressed the button for the ramp to appear, stepping out into the chilly morning air.

"Oh wow. Almost forgot how cold it got," he muttered to himself, feeling a great difference from the indoors to the outdoors.

He wrapped his arms around himself, looking forward as Narshe steadily came to life. Their work yesterday had certainly cleared out a good deal of the destruction, and now it seemed the civilians were ready to return to their former lives, at least, the ones who had lived there previously. Everyone else just mirrored what they could, wanting to contribute where possible, as it would likely be some time before they could return to their previous homes. But, given the expansion of the city due to the Legion's control, there was now plenty to be done at restoring the life of Narshe, and everyone was eager to revitalize it. It was a warming sight to see them holding on to that and persevering through these dark times for the world. Clyde felt a smile reach his lips as he observed and strolled down the ramp.

"Have a good dream or something?" said a voice to his left.

He turned his head to the left to see Edgar lounging in a wooden chair in the snow, wrapped in a great, furry blanket.

"No. Just enjoying the view," Clyde replied.

"It is something, isn't it? When you get past the smell of coal and all the black smoke, Narshe is quite beautiful," Edgar said.

"It is. What are you doing?" asked Clyde.

"Just using the cold to slap myself awake. I'm used to being up early, I just need a little coaxing to _stay_ up," he answered with a chuckle.

"Heh. I see. Well, enjoy yourself. I'm going to take a look around."

"Alright. Once the sun gets all the way over those mountains it'll warm up," said Edgar, noticing Clyde's slight shiver.

Clyde nodded and made his way towards the city. The snow had yet to thin out, so it was some effort to actually walk across the ground, though he was lucky to find some of their tracks from the previous night that made it much easier. When he was finally within Narshe itself, a brand new life seemed to have taken over since the day before, or even since its complete abandonment during Kefka's reign. The mines were currently not in use, but Clyde did not blame the citizens for avoiding them. He figured it would take a while for anyone to actually _want_ to go back to work there, and they would find other ways to get by in the time being.

"Ok, what's the deal here!? We have six shovels and two volunteers, three including myself? Oh, time to 'band together' indeed! Doesn't no one take responsibility anymore!?"

Clyde looked over to see a thin man near the entrance grasping a large snow shovel, with two other fellows holding shovels of their own. Obviously they were in charge of clearing out some of the snow, but the leader was very visibly frustrated at the lack of personnel.

"Ah, excuse me? Do you mind if I lend a hand?" Clyde asked, approaching the trio.

"Eh? You wanna help out? You sure, buddy?" the thin man asked, putting on a front of surprise even though the eagerness in his eyes betrayed it.

"Oh, certainly," Clyde said.

He grabbed himself one of the snow shovels leaning next to a nearby shack, lining up next to the other volunteers.

"Well, all right then! That's four of us already… let's get to work!"

And work, they did. While the sun crawled its way up and over the eastern mountains, Narshe had been rendered into a thriving, restored city. The streets were now much more navigable, with the snow being shoveled out very thoroughly and meticulously and the remaining debris from the battle taken to be incinerated in the mines. The merchant quarter was reopened; the dead had been given proper burial; the harbor that was once under the Legion's control was taken back; everything had been mostly set right by noon, just in time for the heroes to enjoy a lunch provided by the city.

"Again, we can't tell you enough how much this is appreciated," said Locke, having repeated himself multiple times throughout the meal.

"Locke, it's nothing! You and Edgar have been plenty good to this city before, and now your whole lot of friends has proven just as benevolent. This is our way of thanking _you_," said one of the servers, an acquaintance of the original Returners.

"Hey, bro! Pass me some rolls, will ya?" Sabin called across the table.

"Sabin, you have rolls a foot away from you on _that_ side," Edgar replied, gesturing to the basket of warm rolls on Sabin's left.

"Oh. Hah. My mistake. Got so caught up with everything else," he said as he tore off a large chunk of chicken with his teeth, grabbing a roll with his free hand.

"I must say, dis beverage is most delicious," said Malain, who had been emptying his drink cup consistently of the warm, caramel-colored drink they had been served.

"Yes. It's actually quite a treasure here in Narshe. We just call it Coal Beer, because we take it into the mines a lot to keep us warm. It's non-alcoholic though," explained a server.

"Aw, you got me excited there for a second…" said Setzer, earning a small punch in the arm from Daryl.

"You're behaving so well so far… don't get any ideas!" she warned.

At this point, Sabin made the sound effect of a whip cracking.

_**Later**_

The team regrouped on The Liberator about an hour after their filling meal, having let their stomachs settle from the vast quantities of food consumed. Narshe was sad to see them go, but they were able to muster a grateful goodbye by supplying them with more equipment and necessities. Now the ship was stocked full of plentiful potions and status-curing items, and the heroes were finally able to wield a bit of protection with some new armor and garments, which they desperately needed after several days' worth of fighting and sweating. The clothes were not particularly distinguishable, mostly generic with neutral colors, but they all attempted to personalize their armor choices somewhat.

Siegfried and Cyan opted for some of the heavier pieces, complete with full plate-mail suits, minus the helmets. Sabin and Malain ignored the body armor to retain their mobility, but chose appropriate gauntlets and boots accordingly. Celes chose a chain mail covering for her torso, and some thin arm and leg coverings. Daryl and Terra dressed similarly. Strago and Relm opted for protective cloaks, which would keep them safe while avoiding the heavier battling. And the rest, who all had a fairly similar body size, went for minimal accessories such as the chain mail, and some gauntlets. Umaro and Mog really couldn't find anything to fit them, but they had no concerns over that. And Owzer, of course, would not be joining in the fights. They weren't much to look at. Even back when they challenged Kefka, their equipment was much more impressive. However, it was a sufficient improvement upon what they had been fighting in, and no one was going to complain about all was ready, the team took off to the skies.

It was a fast trip to Kohlingen, and the landscape was drastically changed like the rest of the world. Kohlingen was now a sizeable port city at the edge of the very small landmass it occupied, otherwise surrounded by the World Sea, complete with a harbor on its western side that looked as though it were rather hastily built, but sufficient nonetheless. There were not many ships around, but as their airship landed just outside the south-facing city entrance, Clyde pointed out an imperial vessel that was present at the docks. It was a curious sight, given that Kohlingen had supposedly become a thriving city after The Flood. But, they supposed it was not particularly out of the ordinary, given the circumstances of the world's situation regardless. The city itself seemed to be in decent shape, and the heroes filed out of the ship to investigate.

"Gau like go swimming," said the wild boy as he gazed at the coast, eyeing some particularly large fish wandering about.

"Maybe after we save the world, ok?" said Daryl.

As they entered the city, the group seemed to subconsciously file into a specific order that Clyde found oddly strategic and potentially combat-effective if called for. He made a mental note of the setup. In the rear were Umaro, Mog, and the swordsmen: Cyan, Siegfried, and Clyde himself (and Interceptor, of course). In front of them stood the older fellows: Strago and Owzer, and then the women: Celes, Terra, Daryl, and Relm, placing their magical power in the middle. Locke and Edgar led the front of the line, while Sabin and Setzer marched behind them, with Gau and Malain in front of the magic-users. He couldn't help but smirk at the sheer coincidence of it. He had become so distracted as to not even realize that they had gone well into the city at that point, until the group stopped before the harbor where two imperial soldiers were talking with a man in a suit.

It was peculiar, but it seemed like there was hardly a person in sight. Kohlingen looked healthy and maintained, but it felt so empty. Clyde noticed that it had expanded quite a ways beyond its previous size, yet there was almost not life to it.

"Yes, I understand completely. Do what you must, though I do hope that none of this will be a nuisance to the citizens," said the suited man.

"Of course. We do our business quickly and painlessly as possible. We just need to find a secluded room and secure it tightly," said one of the soldiers.

"Then I think we can oblige you," the man replied.

"Ah, excuse me!" said Locke, hailing them down.

"Hey! It's them! Captain Gabbiani!" said the other soldier, waving enthusiastically to Setzer.

"Welcome travelers! Judging by your armaments and diversity, I can only suspect that you are the Returners," noted the man.

"That we are. I am Edgar Figaro, King of Figaro… eh, obviously," Edgar said with a nervous chuckle.

"Welcome to Kohlingen, your highness! I am Mayor Ravel Winston. I apologize for the lack of glamour our town currently possesses. We have actually come across a spot of trouble."

"Yeah, I see there aren't a lot of people around," said Locke.

"We are placing this town under partial quarantine," explained one of the soldiers.

"Some poor traveler from Nikeah wound up here, and he's a lot worse for the wear," said the other.

"Nikeah?" Sabin wondered aloud.

"Nikeah is under a serious plague. Is the man infected?" wondered Setzer.

"We aren't 100%, but we're pretty sure he is. That's the reason for the quarantine. Mayor Winston recognized some strange things about the fellow, so he sent out a call to one of our nearby ships, and we're here to keep him contained until we diagnose and figure out what we can do about it," said the first soldier.

"How long has this plague been there?" asked Edgar.

"Far too long. We have sent multiple 'clean up crews' to help them out, but whatever is affecting them is something very peculiar. Remedies do not work. Antidotes do not work. There are three confirmed deaths so far, and many are probably on their way there. We really don't know what the hell is going on, but some theorize that it's some sort of dark magic."

"Dark magic. Geeda might be up to something," Celes commented.

"I certainly won't put it past him," Locke replied.

"Yeah. We just don't know what to do about it. We can only do so much with MagiTek, and it's not helping any."

"Maybe we should check it out?" Terra suggested.

"Eeh… I don't know about you guys, but I don't like getting sick," Sabin said warily.

"Actually, the Liberator is equipped with a few chemical suits. All of the airships and sea vessels carry some, since the Flood was bound to carry disease somewhere," said Setzer.

"Yes, he's right!" said the second soldier.

"And maybe we can detect some presence of magic and clear it out? Or maybe it's an esper's doing…" said Daryl.

"It makes sense," Locke muttered quietly.

"By all means, do what you can. We definitely aren't going to get lucky any time soon," said the first soldier.

"Should we go, then?" asked Setzer.

"Ah, is anyone particularly opposed to the idea?" Locke asked the rest of the group, turning to face them.

"Other than Sabin," he added quickly before Sabin could raise his hand.

"I think it a sound plan!" Siegfried declared.

"As do I!" Cyan added.

"Kupo! Let's go go!"

Everyone nodded their agreement, and they began to return to the ship, bidding the soldiers and the mayor farewell.

"Good luck to you!" called Mayor Winston.

_**Later**_

The sight of Nikeah itself was almost enough to make them sick. Setzer was hesitant to land the Liberator in the water, but he did so anyway, not wanting to waste the ship's fuel. However, none of them dared go outside yet. Nikeah, like South Figaro, was half-submerged in water, so the villagers had created wooden walkways throughout the town that kept them above the sea, and many of the buildings had obviously been renovated to fit the change. But, the water that Nikeah now sat in was an unnatural shade of purple, almost black like oil. There was not a single living soul outside, but there were the plentiful bodies of individuals who had already succumbed to whatever plagued the town. It was a disturbing and sickening sight, one that none were eager to face.

"I don't know what kind of magic can do this… but this definitely is not natural," said Locke, observing from the cockpit.

"No kidding. I'm nervous enough having the ship parked here," Setzer added.

"We're going to have to check it out eventually. We cannot just leave the town like this," said Edgar.

"Go for it, Bro. I'll stay in here with about fifty antidotes ready to go…" said Sabin.

"The ship has five suits on it. Volunteers?" asked Setzer.

"Yeah, I'll go… no one else is man enough," Edgar grumbled, leaving the cockpit to find the closet for chemical suits.

"I'm up for it," said Celes, following him out.

"Yeah, me too," added Locke.

"I will," said Clyde.

"I'll go as well. Can't let ya have all de fun, eh?" said Malain.

"Great. That's settled!" Setzer said, rubbing his hands together.

"Woah! Did you just see that!?" Sabin cried as the others left.

All of them remaining quickly looked outside the cockpit, startled by Sabin's exclamation.

"What? What did you see!?" Relm asked.

"I see nothing out of the ordinary," Cyan said quietly.

"No, man! I swear… I think I just saw a ghost."

"You're kidding…" Setzer said disdainfully.

"No, seriously! Not like those ones on the Phantom Train, either! Like… big, black robed, evil spirit kind of thing!"

"What a helpful description," muttered Strago.

"Sabin, I think you're just freaking yourself out. This plague has got you all jittery," said Daryl.

"Wait! I see it!" Owzer yelled.

They all locked in on the scene outside again, most of them finally being able to detect a small movement between the buildings, the edge of a flowing cloak disappearing behind a corner. However, it was not a sufficient glance, and it was completely gone soon after their eyes caught it.

"Well, go tell our brave souls to be prepared for ghost hunting then," said Setzer.

_Author's Note: Hot damn, it's been too long! I just finished my senior year of high school in May, so I'm sure some of you are aware that I've been extremely busy. However, my summer is finally starting to cool down, so I'm going to jump all over this writing thing and hope to get the story finished before the end of this year! I am working on other writing projects, though, but I hope it doesn't slow down my progress on this, because progress has been lacking for far too long! But, for now, I'm jumping right back in with a vengeance! So keep the faith, loyal fans!_


	19. Plague

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XIX – Plague**

The five volunteers stood just outside _The Liberator _in their newly donned chemical suits. Getting used to them was a long shot, and one major drawback to them was the inconvenience of wearing armor underneath, forcing the adventurers to forgo some security in battle for hermetically sealed protection against the plague. Even with just a thin layer of clothing beneath, the suits were certainly not comfortable.

"I am boiling in this thing!" said Locke.

"No kidding… we might burn up in these things before that plague eats us alive," added Edgar.

"You guys are so dramatic. Let's keep our minds on task!" said Celes.

Not sure what to expect, they were all somewhat hesitant about going straight in.

"Alright, whatever happens… we stick together here. Do _not_ get separated," said Locke, taking the first step forward.

The others nodded silently and followed his lead. Now it was just them, the city, and whatever entity had engendered this corruption. Each of them already held their weapons ready, and they slowly began to stalk into the silent town where countless people lie out in the open, completely still.

"Many times I have seen villages ruined by disease… but not'ing so bad as dis," said Malain.

The others did not share Malain's experience, but they agreed that something worse would be hard to come by. The death toll quoted by the Imperial workers before was woefully inaccurate from the looks of the city. There were motionless bodies scattered across the platforms, and not a single sign of life to be had.

"This is unreal. We've seen an entire world torn apart by magic twice, and we've caused our own share of destruction and mayhem… but this is on an entirely different level," said Locke, having crouched down by the body of a small boy who was curled up with a look of anguish on his dead face.

"This can't be a normal plague. This whole situation reeks of Geeda's involvement," said Clyde.

The five of them continued their search, leaving their airship far behind as they delved into the larger part of the city. Every single building was shut down and locked up, and the continuing silence grew ever more uncomfortable for all of them. Every so often one of the group would edge close to some residence or another and listen carefully for any sound of stirring inside, but there was nothing. Edgar even prodded sharply on the sides of one building with his spear, but if anyone was reacting to it they were doing so completely silently.

"Is there literally no one left alive here?" Edgar wondered.

"I haven't seen anything to suggest otherwise," Celes replied.

"How long as this plague even been here?" Locke asked.

"Setzer never specified, remember? He just said it happened recently," said Clyde.

"Yeah, and those Imperial guys we met up with earlier didn't give an exact date either," Edgar added.

"They also said the confirmed number of deaths was three. But I'm counting at least ten bodies just in my line of vision, not to mention the ones we passed on the way here…" said Locke.

"Perhaps dey not be wantin' to admit how bad de situation be."

"Ever the politicians," muttered Celes.

"Hey! Sometimes the politicians don't want to spread panic. We have enough to worry about in the world as is!" Edgar said defensively.

"Okay, okay, that's a fair point," she ceded.

"Still, those men we met with earlier can't have been here too long ago, maybe a day at most… Why would they say only three had died when clearly all of these people are-"

Before Locke could finish his statement, every single body in the vicinity suddenly jerked their heads upward and stretched their hands towards the five explorers, startling them all. Each of them recoiled backwards instinctively and held their weapons out, terrified by the wide-eyed, open-mouthed expressions on the villagers. There was a collective, raspy breathing coming from each mouth, and suddenly they all spoke in unison.

"Your politicians are right in their fear. They understand the true gravity of the situation, and they know that the worst is yet to come," came the joined voices of men, women, and children in an eerie monotone.

"What in the hell is going on here!?" said Locke, looking around frantically to see that every villager outside was sitting up and speaking to them.

"You take comfort in your little plastic suits, yet you do not realize their futility. This is no disease, at least not in the manner you assume it to be. Lord Geeda was clever to assume that you would come here eventually. Now you are the mouse caught in his trap!"

Clyde tightened his grip on his sword when he noticed that very slowly, each of the villagers was beginning to rise to their feet. Unlike their previous, sudden movements, this was a slow, irregular shambling that was even more unsettling. He instinctively turned his back to the others to cover their vulnerable side, and the other four quickly followed suit, forming a circle that looked out upon the horde of infected villagers amongst the platforms.

"I really don't like this. I really don't like this one bit," said Edgar.

"Just stay calm. They aren't attacking, so we don't either," Celes said firmly.

"These are innocent people! We aren't going to attack them at all!" said Locke.

"Innocent!? They're all speaking and moving in unison! We can't play the pacifist card if they lunge for our necks!" Edgar replied.

Almost imperceptibly, a low hum began to fill the air, growing louder with each passing second. The five of them looked around for the origin of the noise, and then they noticed how each villager began to develop a strange glow around them, an almost unnoticeable layer of light forming over the contours of their bodies. There was a quick moment of recognition at this magic on Clyde's face before one of the villagers, only ten feet a way, suddenly charged forward and threw a hard punch at his torso. Though the assailant was a frail old woman, her fist impacted like a sledgehammer, knocking Clyde backwards into his friends and sending them sprawling across the platform. They were dumbfounded by the sudden attack, and Edgar caught a solid right hook from one of the town's guards, almost sending him into the water if not for Malain quickly grabbing his arm. The attack immediately escalated and all of the villagers were suddenly hurling themselves at the heroes. They were not exceptionally fast, but the sheer brutality of their hits made up for the lack of speed.

"Blizzga!" Celes shouted, directing the ice blast at one of the attackers. The magic seemed only to stun them for a moment before they continued their assault.

"Okay, let's move! We are way too vulnerable in the middle of the city!" Locke yelled as he used his Scarlet Blades to deflect a small child leaping for him.

The others followed his lead and barreled through two villagers that were closing in on them from the north. They ran down the long main platform, feet pounding on the wood, and the zombie-like villagers pursued with a slow, deliberate gait.

_**Meanwhile**_

From the cockpit of _The Liberator_, Setzer was bewildered by the sudden life instilled into the people on the docks. Though he had lost sight of his comrades as they entered the center of Nikeah, he had a feeling that they were seeing the very same thing from their vantage point. He was somewhat apprehensive about the strange, unnatural synchronicity between the apparently dead plague victims, and his instincts told him that something was not quite right. As he got up to leave, the door behind him opened.

"Setzer, there's something very odd going on outside," said Terra as she poked her head in.

"I've just been noticing that. Do you think the others are alright?"

"I really hope so. I want to go out and see, but…"

"Yeah, the plague. I know."

"Hey guys! Now those villagers are starting to glow or something! Almost looks like they've got some protective barrier around them!" Sabin called from further into the ship.

"I daresay it looks as though they have Shell and Safe spells cast upon them," Siegfried observed.

"That can't be good," said Daryl, watching their movements eagerly from one of the side windows.

"We need to go help them!" said Relm, grabbing her paintbrush eagerly.

"Woah! Hold on there, sweetness. There is a _plague_ in that city! If we step outside we risk contracting it and completely derailing our chances at stopping Thomas Geeda!" Setzer said as he came in from the cockpit, following Terra.

"Dude, my DAD- I mean… Clyde is out there! Don't you think for a second some stupid plague is going to stop me. Or Interceptor!"

Interceptor barked his agreement, snarling at the villagers walking away from the docks.

"Now Relm, you know Clyde wouldn't want you risking yourself to come to his aid," said Strago.

"Besides, if anyone is going out there, it should be the adults," Setzer added.

"Bullshit! I'm just as capable at fighting as you are! I went with you guys to Kefka's tower!" Relm snapped.

"Hey, the kid wants to go, and I'm telling you now that _I'm_ not setting foot out there! Let her do her thing! Just keep her about 10 feet away from me at all times," said Sabin.

Relm glared at him as he gave her a sheepish smile. She turned back to Setzer with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently.

"You know, I don't think this is an ordinary disease. These villagers, they're moving like zombies or something, but they don't look like they've been afflicted with Zombie. I mean, have you guys noticed how healthy they _do_ look?" said Daryl, still gazing out the window.

As the rest of the team started to crowd around the windows, they did see her point. Though before most of the city folk had been motionless on the ground, looking at them now they looked perfectly fine, with good color, no coughing fits, no weariness…

"This is most unusual," said Cyan.

"Ugah!" Umaro agreed.

"Can't you feel it, Terra? This affliction is purely magical, not some kind of pathogen," said Daryl.

Terra was a bit surprised at being asked for her input, but as she focused her senses on the surrounding area, there was definitely a magical presence at work; something very powerful, and likely the cause of the "plague". She nodded in silent agreement.

"Then screw this! I'm going out there!" Relm said as she made her way to the exit door with Interceptor at her heels.

"The little lass has spirit, and I shall follow her into battle!" said Siegfried, forming up right behind her.

He was followed by an equally enthusiastic Mog and Gau, and Relm jammed her finger on the door release and practically leaped down the exit ramp.

"Hey, wait! I'm the Captain! I say who boards and disembarks the ship!" Setzer cried. But his authority was lost on them as the others began to follow suit.

"Are you guys freaking nuts!? You're going to go outside on the principle that they don't _look_ that sick to you!? Yeah, Kefka just LOOKED like a harmless clown from the Figaro Circus! Master Pug just LOOKS like a fat lizard in a robe! You are all insane!" Sabin shouted as they started to head out.

"A minute ago you were just fine letting Relm go outside!" said Terra, letting the others go before her.

"Well yeah, that's ONE person! Everyone on the ship, though!? That is playing with some very serious fire!" he retorted.

"Don't we kind of go into every situation under those circumstances?" Daryl countered.

Unable to vocalize his point any further, Sabin threw his hands up in exasperation and ran to one of the storage cabinets, tossing various curative items their way as they exited the ship.

"I guess I will stay and guard the ship then! You guys go have fun getting sick!" he said as he planted himself in one of the seats.

"We'll be fine, Sabin! You just stay here with Owzer if it makes you feel better though," Daryl said as she followed Terra out of the ship, the door closing behind her. Owzer simply shrugged at Sabin's incredulous look.

_**Meanwhile**_

The other five found themselves corned between a small cul-de-sac of shops and were forced to confront the villagers. Though their weapons did not seem to harm them, they were sufficient protection from the heavy blows. Celes tried sending her best magic at them, and even attempted to Dispel the magical protection, but to no avail. Something had made these people nigh invincible.

"This is ridiculous! These suits suck for fighting!" said Edgar as he hurled a man backwards into his fellow townspeople, knocking them off their feet.

"These barriers… I'm reminded of the time we tangled with Golem in that tavern! But he was defeated, wasn't he?" Celes wondered aloud, continuing to throw magic in multiple directions to slow down their attackers.

"Definitely! Siegfried finished him off!" said Locke.

"It is not the robot you seek. His crude machinery was not capable of manipulation on this level!" came the unison voices of the villagers again.

"Only a coward would need to hide behind manipulation and secrecy! Reveal yourself!" Clyde demanded, realizing the subtle irony of this statement.

Almost immediately, the platform beneath their feet erupted, and they were sent flying forward into the fray. A large spray of water followed as something rose up behind them, and they scrambled to get to their feet and face the new arrival. Fortunately, the villagers held off their attack, clearly at the behest of the esper who had just emerged from the deep. Adorned in a flowing black and red cloak, its skeletal hands danced in the air as it floated above the scene. It was a legless torso with a golden mask, reminiscent of Ancient Egyptian sarcophagi. It was ZoneSeek, the magical protector.

"Think me a coward, do you?" came an unsettling rumble from the esper's golden head, echoed by the villagers around them.

"What is your play here!?" Clyde demanded.

"Simple. Those attempting to cleanse the plague meet a swift, watery grave… and the poor victims of Nikeah gradually find themselves relocating to strategic positions in the world, where they will strike from within!" ZoneSeek explained.

"So you're planting these innocent people in the right places and manipulating them into destruction?" said Edgar.

"Indeed. No one would ever suspect one succumbing to 'disease' to be a threat. And with my powers greatly enhanced by Lord Geeda, no one can stop them!"

The five of them looked at each other nervously, not entirely sure how to proceed. The villagers were not attacking, which was a relief, but the hovering esper was another dangerous variable thrown into the mix. Clyde was about to make a move until he heard the sound of an approaching commotion behind him. He turned his head to look, and the others followed suit. They were surprised to see all of their friends running straight for them, weaving in and out of the crowds of stationary townspeople.

"Look! ZoneSeek!"

"I should have recognized those protective barriers!"

"Well now he's about to get a piece of my mind!"

Suddenly every villager was restored with new vigor, and the battle began afresh. Before the larger group could continue forward, they were hit on all sides. Taken completely by surprise, many of them had no chance to defend themselves before being dropped to the ground in heaps. Relm shrieked as a very fat villager grabbed for her, and Interceptor immediately attempted to bite his leg, but his teeth could not even penetrate the barrier. Umaro quickly ran forward and bowled the man over with his sheer mass, only to be overcome by two housewives leaping for his back. The scene was utter chaos as the villagers thrashed the heroes across the city, ZoneSeek simply observing from above without any interference.

"What the hell are they doing here!?" said Locke.

"Clearly they want to help!" Clyde answered.

"They're putting themselves at unnecessary risk!"

"As if we were doing any better on our own!" Edgar snapped, warding a group of the attackers away with his chainsaw.

"Figa!"

"Pearl!"

"Aqua Breath!"

"Kupo!"

None of their magic had proven effective yet, only giving them a moment's reprieve before another attack. They were quickly running out of options, and the battle was even more difficult given that they were fighting completely innocent civilians who were being strung along like puppets. No one really wanted to land a lethal blow.

"We need some way to stun them!" Setzer cried.

"Stop magic won't work here if nothing else will!" Celes called across the way.

Thinking fast, Edgar had a sudden stroke of inspiration.

"Everyone cover your ears!" he shouted as loudly as he could.

He equipped his Noise Blaster tool and tweaked the settings as quickly as he could, calibrating the decibels and frequency to their most potent settings. He rolled to his right to dodge an attack and activated the device. The air became filled with a rumbling whine that pierced their ears sharply. The others were only just lucky enough to be able to cover their ears, some of them not having heard his original instruction. Given the design of the tool, Edgar was safe behind the speaker, and he directed it in every single direction, attempting to cover the entire city of Nikeah with it.

To his great relief, it worked. Every villager suddenly ceased their attack and dropped to their knees with their heads shaking, as if to ward the sound away from their ears. Even ZoneSeek was thrashing around in the air, flailing his arms madly and losing control over his magic. Unfortunately Mog had not caught on to the trend of covering his ears, and was incapacitated with the other citizens. When the noise ceased, those affected were completely dazed, and everyone directed their attention toward the esper.

"Nice work, Edgar! Let's take him out!" said Locke, rallying the others forward.

ZoneSeek shook off his momentary confusion and zoomed away swiftly, maintaining just enough distance to avoid their melee weapons. It looked around in ill-disguised panic, clearly attempting to reassert its control over the villagers with no success.

"Looks like your plan didn't count on your subjects being incapacitated!" Edgar taunted, waving his now miniature Noise Blaster at the esper.

"I think it not wise to gloat too soon, your Highness!" said Cyan.

Edgar was about to make another comment, but ZoneSeek silenced him with an unexpected Stop spell, freezing him in place. Terra and Celes then responded in kind with Flare and Pearl respectively, but the esper's own protection greatly reduced their effectiveness. Relm attempted a Sketch, but could not muster enough concentration for it to work. The team simply stood there baffled while ZoneSeek swayed back and forth in the air, waiting for their next move.

"What do we do?" Malain whispered to Clyde, who was right in front of him.

"Beats me," he whispered back.

"Uwaaaaoooo!"

They were all startled by Gau's sudden, feral yell. The wild boy charged forward on all fours, climbed rapidly up Umaro's back (to the yeti's surprise), and leapt into the air for ZoneSeek. The abrupt nature of the attack took the esper off guard, and Gau wrapped his arms around its neck and latched on.

"Sir Gau! What art thou doing!?" called Cyan.

ZoneSeek twisted violently in the air in an attempt to fling Gau off his back, but the boy held on incredibly tightly, his face utterly manic. Suddenly, a series of pink-to-purple orbs began to shoot from ZoneSeek's body, and it let out a strangled hiss of pain as it was damaged by its own magic power.

"Rasp! Of course!" Celes cried, smacking herself on the forehead.

Before the general even had to explain the situation, Daryl immediately tapped into her mimic abilities and performed the same magic Gau had. Terra and Celes followed with the same spell, and Strago was not long after, being surprised by the unexpected return of this ability. The others watched eagerly as ZoneSeek showed more and more signs of weakening, eventually ceasing its mad thrashing. Gau bounded off his shoulders and landed cleanly on the platforms, continuing its magical assault with his allies.

Then a strange sensation began to pass through the others. Setzer felt an odd rejuvenation inside of him, and there was a warm feeling coursing through his body. He was surprised by a familiar tremble within his hands, and he clenched his fists tightly to let the feeling soak in. The pilot quietly bowed his head and closed his eyes for a moment before looking directly at the esper and throwing his hands forward.

"Thunder!" he shouted.

His breath caught in his chest as the lightning bolt descended from the sky and struck ZoneSeek full on, causing it to roar loudly. Everyone else was completely stunned, and even those who had already been attacking had to stop.

"Setzer! Did you just…!?"

"Can we…!?"

"How in the…!?"

Locke stepped forward and followed Setzer's example by attempting a cast of Fire, and to his great relief the small burst of flame struck true as well. Inspired by the display of power, everyone else tried to throw magic forward as well. Though not all of their attempts were successful, clearly even more magical power was beginning to return to them, and what spells did work continued to pummel into ZoneSeek. Though it tried to fire its own magic straight back, Celes and Daryl were ready with their Runic powers, unhindered by brainwashed villagers now.

"No! This cannot be! The Master gifted me with powers beyond anything I knew before! He said you would be easily crushed! How did he not anticipate such strength!?" ZoneSeek moaned pitifully, its fearsome presence diminishing rapidly.

"Never underestimate the human spirit!" said Locke.

"Wow, was that lame…" Relm muttered under her breath as she attempted to conjure a Flare spell with little success.

"What I think he _means_ to say is… Thomas Geeda thinks power comes from one source, but it's strength in numbers and camaraderie that we have on our side!" said Celes.

ZoneSeek cocked its head to the side, as if bewildered by this concept. Then it raised its hands in the air as if to call upon something particularly menacing, but was cut short when Gau executed his trademark Giga Volt spell in his Rage state. The blast caused the esper to go into a violent spasm that landed it on one of the town platforms, where it collapsed into stillness. The boy called upon the same attack again just for good measure, and as soon as the lightning struck, every villager suddenly jolted upright with dazed expressions and no signs of their magical barriers any longer. As Clyde looked over the edge of the platform he was on, he also noticed the water returning to its normal blue color, with no evidence that the area had ever been plagued.

"Gloat too soon!? Oh come on, man! Clearly we've already…" Edgar started as the Stop spell lifted, quickly realizing that there was no longer a fight going on.

"Aw, damn. Did I miss the end of the fight!?"

"Kuuuupo," slurred Mog as he stumbled around confusedly. The effects of the Noise Blaster wore off slowly.

The heroes turned their attentions to the confused villagers, who were surprisingly unscathed throughout the entire ordeal and were completely lost as to what had happened to them for several days at least. Some of them remembered seeing the ghostly form of ZoneSeek, but since then everything became a blur until that very moment when they had snapped out of their hypnosis.

"You're going to be just fine. Nikeah is safe once again, and I don't imagine anyone is going to come knocking any time soon," Strago assured them.

Fortunately the damage from the fight was minimal, and not a single life was lost. Nikeah was one more liberated city, and one more ally in the fight against the Legion of the People. While everyone else helped the citizens sort their lives back together, Setzer radioed the New Empire to inform them of their victory and request that troops be stationed in the town immediately. He had to make several repeated assurances that the "plague" was not truly a disease, and only after this was confirmed by examining the villagers who had been quarantined by the Empire did they agree to send a ship.

_Author's Note: So… uh. Hey guys! It's been, what, four years now? After the last update, I made a very earnest attempt to keep at this story, but college got in the way very quickly. Even while I was there I kept trying to get into this chapter, but I never got very far and always had something else that grabbed my attention instead. Well, I got my degree this past May (Woo, adulthood!), and this summer I started to look back at some of my old documents on my desktop computer (which I hadn't used in at least two years). So there I was, stumbling upon my old story that remained unfinished, and I felt a sudden desire to take another stab at it. Here it is! I don't know if any of my previous readers are still keeping up with this website, but if so, the story continues! I've read back through both parts (with lots of cringing and shame) in order to keep most of the details straight, and I'm really going to try to finish this story off the way I originally intended. I can't make any guarantees, and my track record is evident enough of that, but I'm certainly going to do what I can._


	20. Wind and Rain

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XX – Wind and Rain**

After the struggle in Nikeah, they retired to the airship to await the arrival of the Imperial ship. Sabin was not completely trusting of any of them for a good while, still paranoid about contracting a serious disease.

"Sabin, it wasn't _actually_ a plague! Daryl was right!" Terra said.

"Just leave him to his paranoia. He was always a huge germophobe as a kid, even though he was significantly more rambunctious than I," Edgar explained.

Sabin simply glared at him from his corner of the ship, a large piece of cloth wrapped around his nose and mouth so as to not "breathe in any contaminants in the air", as he put it.

"I swear, you Figaro brothers are the biggest enigmas. I figured the womanizer with the fancy clothes would be the uptight one!" said Celes.

"Oh, I certainly have no qualms about getting _dirty_," Edgar replied with a smarmy grin.

Celes rolled her eyes and fought back a smile, and Relm was barely able to contain her giggles.

"Edgar, with as inappropriate as you can be sometimes _now_, I'm beginning to doubt that you had any success with girls when you were younger," said Daryl, earning a chuckle from some of the men.

"Hey! I am not inappropriate! Just because I engage in a little harmless flirting…"

"It's not the flirting that's the problem! It's when you _choose_ to flirt!"

"She has a point, man. You were all over Terra just after she narrowly escaped from Narshe when Emperor Gestahl was after her!" Locke reminded him.

Terra quickly turned away from the group to hide her blushing face, and Clyde found himself directing his attention to the floor, absent-mindedly scratching his head. He felt oddly uncomfortable around his friends at the moment, and his stomach was churning a bit.

"I was just extending good hospitality to a guest in my castle! Come on, you weren't put off by me, were you Terra?"

"N-no! You were very kind. I was grateful that you offered your lodging," she said quickly, keeping her back turned.

"See? Not inappropriate!"

"Whatever," Daryl replied, rolling her eyes in the same manner as Celes.

"Hey! That imperial ship finally made it. That's our cue to take off," Setzer called from the cockpit.

They all assembled themselves so as to prepare for lift off, and soon after _The Liberator_ rose from the water and shot into the sky as the Imperial vessel began to dock. The people of Nikeah looked up to the ship and waved a grateful goodbye as it disappeared into the distance.

"Course set for Kohlingen. The Empire wants us to let them know that Nikeah is now safe to receive travelers," Setzer told Locke who was standing behind him in the cockpit.

"I'll let the others know."

Locke exited and found most of the others sitting quietly, having tired of conversation for the moment. Sabin was still huddled by himself, Edgar was fiddling with one of his tools, Terra, Celes, and Daryl were having some sort of frantic, whispered conversation complete with giggling and smirking. He really didn't want to know what about. Everyone else was either further back into the ship or just lounging around on their own.

"Just wanted to let you guys know that we're heading back to Kohlingen. Letting them know that Nikeah is safe now."

A few of them acknowledged his announcement, and with his work done he returned to the cockpit to see Setzer looking around the panels in front of him nervously.

"Uh, Setzer? What's going on?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure. See, this vessel has a fancy little radar device on it, and has been picking up two large signatures nearby which have been following us for a while now. I didn't think much of it at first, but their persistence is a slight cause for concern."

"Do you think it's ships? Or espers?"

"The radar doesn't differentiate on that level, it just detects objects based on their size. These two are pretty big, though. They could be warships, but I'm pretty sure warships can't keep up with this thing."

Locke thought for a moment before returning to the cabin. He made a cursory glance out each of the windows, seeking out their mysterious pursuers, but was unable to detect anything.

"What's going on, Locke?" Clyde asked, rising from his solitary spot on one of the lounging couches.

"Setzer said he's detected two objects following us, but he doesn't know what they are," Locke said quietly.

"Hm. I haven't seen anything odd outside."

"What's up, guys?" Celes called from her huddle with the other two women.

"Setzer says he-"

"OH SHIT!" came Setzer's startled cry from the cockpit.

Before they could even react to his surprise, the ship suddenly shook violently as if hit by a massive wave of turbulence. Locke and Clyde both tumbled into the wall, and the others grabbed onto their seats tightly. The shaking only lasted a moment, and there was a noticeable increase in speed following it.

"Setzer! What's going on, buddy!?" Edgar shouted, looking out the window to see what was going on.

"Big freaking bird outside!" the pilot called back.

"Like, normal, every day, murderous beast or magically-enhanced bird originating from another world?"

"Um. That doesn't look like a bird," said Daryl, staring outside one of the windows on the left side of the jet.

They all quickly turned their attention to what she was referring to and saw a massive serpentine shape tearing through the water below, its angular head rising and falling as it skimmed the ocean to keep pace with the ship.

"Looks more like a sea serpent to me."

"It is Leviathan!" said Malain, having heard much about the creature before.

"Setzer said there were _two_ things following us."

The ship suddenly shook again, and the remaining members of their group came running up from the back end of the ship.

"Holy crap! Did you guys see that big ass bird just fly by!?" said Relm.

"Big bird makes wind!" Gau added.

"Look!" Terra gasped, pointing to the windows on the other side, where a massive, pure white bird with four wings was soaring alongside _The Liberator_, it's golden eyes peering menacingly into the ship.

"Stuck between a rock and a-"

A loud rush of sound came at them from the left side, and they all turned to see a vast wall of water rising to their height and surging forward. They instinctively braced themselves just as the wave hit, slamming into the ship with incredible power.

"Son of a bitch! I am not losing another airship to this nonsense!"

Setzer made a sharp left turn and did his best to avoid the pursuing espers, weaving erratically to make for a difficult target.

"Setzer, I'm going to be sick! Can you level off for just a second!?" Strago yelled.

"I second that motion!" Cyan added.

A loud, piercing screech sounded outside, and the ship shook again as the giant bird dropped directly on top of it and clenched its talons into the wings. Their velocity was steadily slowing down as the creature created more resistance and actively sought to slow them down.

"Oh no you don't," Setzer growled, abruptly cutting their speed to nothing, which sent the bird rocketing forward while the ship stayed behind.

He quickly engaged the weapon systems and fired the main laser cannon directly at the esper, following up with a missile fired from each wing. The bird shrieked furiously as the attack pummelled into it. As the explosions cleared away, it squared off directly with the vessel and began to flap its wings, generating a powerful current of wind. Setzer was not entirely sure what it was going to do, but he refused to stick around to find out. He returned the thrusters to their original power and blasted away from the bird, narrowly avoiding the magical blades of wind it had just flung their way. He chuckled to himself for a job well done, but all too soon. A powerful jet of water suddenly fired from the ocean below and impacted the right wing, tilting the ship off its axis and completely destablizing Setzer's control. He hastily activated the secondary thrusters, which were used to maintain equilibrium in such a situation. _The Liberator_ righted itself immediately and continued on its course.

"I feel like we might want to strap in!" said Edgar.

Everyone agreed immediately and sought out seats throughout the aircraft, latching the safety buckles that they had yet to need in earnest until now. They all gripped their seats as it made another sharp turn and was rocked heavily by one of the bird's air blasts. Looking out the windows, they could see waves several stories high rising from the ocean in bursts, attempting to impede their escape. Setzer continued to weave unpredictably across the sky, searching the horizon for any sign of land. If anything, he could at least keep the sea monster at bay. The only problem was that the World Sea was very aptly named. Dry land was a complete rarity.

"Oooh dear, I always thought remaining in the ship was the safe part!" Owzer whimpered from his seat.

"Kupo! Look outside!"

Just outside the windows a series of whirlwinds descended from the sky and came tearing in their direction, sucking up the water below and becoming vicious waterspouts. _The Liberator _ducked and dodged skillfully around them, and the bird esper let out another angry screech as it sent more in pursuit. From below, Leviathan raised its head from the water and unleashed a high pitched whine, almost like the call of an angry whale. Suddenly the sea rose directly in front of them, and Setzer was forced to plunge through the massive wave, essentially submerging the jet in the air. It was buffeted from all sides by the pressure and resistance of the water, steadily losing altitude before it came out the other side of the wave and into the open air again. They were now significantly lower than they had been before, and there was a loud splash as Leviathan erupted from the water and arced its lengthy body over the ship. Setzer reacted instantly and turned the ship sharply to the right, directing the thrusters at Leviathan's head as it came down, attempting to crush them from above. The pilot grinned as he jammed his finger on a large red button labeled "Emergency Boost", which he had been saving for a moment like this. The thrusters unleashed a quick burst of energy that launched them forward at great speed, blasting Leviathan full on in the face. The marine beast let out a pained cry as it fell back into the water. Though not defeated permanently, it was stunned just long enough for them to get far enough away that it gave up pursuit.

Setzer quickly glanced at the radar to see that both readings had disappeared, and he surmised that the espers had become significantly more cautious about attacking alone. This was comforting in the moment, but also highly disconcerting when the prospect of future battles came to mind. Thomas Geeda was not going to be taking any unnecessary risks at this point. He disregarded it for now, however, and used the intercom system to report that the chase was over for now and that their trip to Kohlingen would continue as planned. Everyone else breathed a collective sigh of relief, and both Strago and Cyan ran to the bathrooms and relieved themselves of their nausea just as promised.

_**Later**_

They arrived in the town just as evening began to settle in. Locke, Edgar, and Setzer took responsibility for speaking to the local officials, leaving the others to do as they pleased. Sabin immediately headed for the nearby tavern, muttering something to himself about alcohol killing germs. Clyde was not entirely opposed to a drink either, so he followed suit with Siegfried and Malain accompanying him. Everyone else went their separate ways and promised to remain on standby for whenever they needed to leave.

The Kohlingen tavern was largely unchanged since their last visit. Clyde thought back on that night, grinning at the memory of Sabin getting completely wasted and being out of commission from a hangover the next day. That was back when he was hiding behind his new identity and did not feel entirely welcome in his friends' company, even though they were quite accomodating. But now, free of the burden of his secrets, he was able to relax and enjoy a drink with his comrades, though he made sure not to overdo it, and to keep Sabin from doing so as well.

"I'm not gonna get drunk! Just need something to calm my nerves…" was Sabin's defense as he chugged down an entire beer in a few seconds, ordering another immediately.

"Where I come from, we do not understand 'dis strange idea of finishing one's drink so fast! Drinks are meant to be enjoyed slowly!" said Malain, being sure to keep his voice quiet.

"I do agree with the gentleman!" said Siegfried.

"I don't know that Sabin is capable of doing anything without some level of intensity," said Clyde.

"It is strange. For someone who was trained by Master Duncan, he is very rowdy. Duncan always sought to teach patience and a calm, collected mind," Malain observed.

"Perhaps part of it is Sabin rebelling against his royal upbringing. Apparently he was the rebellious one and Edgar was the boy who gratefully accepted his silver spoon," said Clyde.

"I have found that royalty does inspire a certain repulsiveness in those who seek other lifestyles," Siegfried added.

"I certainly couldn't do it. Far too much independence to care about appearances," said Clyde.

"Even though you hid your true identity from your friends not too long ago?" said Malain.

"Heh. You got me there. I guess not every part of me is as secure as I'd like it to be."

"That's okay, my friend. You are a good mon with his heart in de right place."

"Hear, hear. You shan't be judged by me, good sir."

"I appreciate it."

Elsewhere in the town, Terra wandered around the local garden by herself, admiring the consistent care the gardeners had maintained with their charges; beautiful flowers of different shapes and vibrant colors. She caught sight of Relm and Interceptor running around in the grass, the young girl giggling as the dog attempted to chase her down. She watched them play and smiled to herself at the pure innocence of the scene. Relm certainly had a mouth on her much older than her years, yet it was amazing she was still in touch with her youth, especially in these dark times. The recent revelation of Relm's parentage had been quite a shock for everyone, but certainly more so for Relm.

Terra remembered the confusion she felt when she first learned who her own parents were, yet she could not imagine what it must be like to have been near your father for so long without knowing it was him. Though Relm seemed to have gotten over her initial anger at Clyde, she was certain there were still some trust issues there. Watching Relm interact with him the past few days, she observed that the girl seemed to want to keep an emotional distance but was still fiercely loyal and protective of him; her behavior in Nikeah was evidence of that. It was an enigma that would only be solved by the passage of time, and the two would have to work through it gradually.

She left Relm to her playing and went back the way she came, wondering what the others were up to. She saw Cyan and Gau at the nearby marketplace, a modest collection of little stalls and shops. Gau was currently taking it upon himself to personally inspect the selection of produce one man was selling, and Cyan was doing his best to reign the boy in while the stall owner grew more and more impatient. She smiled at the scene and continued on her way, catching sight of Umaro dozing under a tree, Mog balancing on top of his head on one foot.

"Gotta keep my balance up to snuff, kupo!"

She passed Strago who was talking with one of the townspeople, and finally came across Owzer and Daryl conversing just outside the Town Hall, where Locke, Edgar, and Setzer had gone.

"Hey Terra, how's it going?" Daryl greeted her.

"Just fine, thank you. I've been wandering the town a little."

"It's a quaint little place. Certainly not as cozy as Jidoor, but I can see the charm in this town, even after the Flood," Owzer mused.

"Where has Celes gone?" Terra wondered.

"She was here a moment ago, but I think she went to join the guys at the tavern. I imagine the "General" can hold her booze pretty well," said Daryl.

"I find that too much wine tends to give me the hiccups," said Owzer, wringing his hands together.

"Ha! Do you just gulp it down or something?"

"Of course not! I just should not be allowed an entire bottle to myself," he muttered.

They looked up as the three men exited the building, waving in greeting to the others.

"Well, looks like we're all set here. Should we just stay here for the night?" said Locke.

"I'm okay with that. It's been a long day, between repairing Narshe and getting the stuffing beat out of us by brainwashed Nikeans," said Edgar.

"I'm inclined to agree. That being the case, I'm off for a drink!" Setzer declared, grabbing Daryl's hand and marching off towards the tavern.

"Not too much now! We have things to do tomorrow!" Locke called after him.

As the night grew darker, they all found themselves reunited in the tavern, which became much more lively in the later hours. Sabin and Malain, both a little tipsy, were having a sparring match outside, laughing more often than hitting one another and earning the attention of several people. Edgar, Daryl, and Celes sat at the bar, having an animated discussion about their most embarassing drinking stories. Celes had currently topped theirs with the story of how, as a Private, she broke into her commanding officer's barracks at night and belted out the Imperial anthem as loudly as she could... in her underwear. Setzer was engaged in a very heated poker game with some of the locals, Locke acting as Dealer. Cyan and Siegfried sat quietly at one table, simply enjoying their drinks. Owzer, Strago, Terra, and Relm were at another table, conversing. Gau, Mog, and Umaro were among the crowd watching Sabin and Malain's sparring mach. And in the corner of the tavern sat Clyde, alone, keeping to himself and merely observing the activity in the tavern from afar.

He liked it this way, watching everyone else enjoying themselves while he stayed on the outside. He was an observer by nature, a spectator. He found no joy in drunkenness, nor in card games, but he was glad his friends did. To him, observing their enjoyment led to his own enjoyment. He didn't feel left out or unwanted, and he knew his friends understood his need for solitude. That being said, when Terra approached him a few minutes later, his heart began to beat much faster.

"Hello Clyde, are you enjoying yourself?" she asked.

"Yes, of course. I find solitude relaxing, and is just as much my way of letting of steam as pounding back beers is Sabin's."

She laughed, making him smile.

"Good! Do you want me to leave you alone then?"

"You can sit here if you would like," he replied.

She gave him a nod and sat in the chair across the table from him.

"I'm glad things worked out in Nikeah today. I was kind of nervous watching the five of you go in there alone."

"It's part of the job, I guess. This world isn't going to save itself, and we have to take the necessary precautions to keep ourselves alive."

"Of course. I wonder how much we have left in us, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't you exhausted, Clyde? The past few days have been a non-stop series of battles, and I feel like there's only so much we can do before we get worn out."

"I know what you mean. Constant fighting will take its toll on anyone, even the most hardened of warriors. But I guess that's what makes them hardened in the first place. They get tired and think about giving up, but something compels them to keep going forward. They have something to fight for."

"I know you're right, but it's just hard to keep that motivation. Even with as much rest as we get at night, our days are just filled with activity all the time. And who knows how long Thomas Geeda will last? What if this fight continues into the next year?"

"We won't let that happen. Tom won't let that happen. He's already lost so many espers at his command, his desperation is becoming more and more apparent. He's going to do everything he can to crush us, and we are going to meet him half way."

"How do you stay so confident about all of this? You've always been so self-assured and relentless. What makes you that way?"

"I have… failed others in the past. I even failed you, my friends, for a while when I hid my identity. I won't let that happen again, and I have to stay confident to ensure that I do what I intend to."

Terra nodded at his words and looked down at her hands silently.

"We're going to do this, Terra. We're going to win this fight. And if you grow weary and collapse before the end, then I'll pick you up and carry you there myself."

She looked up with a smile and nodded more assuredly now.

"Thank you, Clyde. I need to hear things like that to keep me grounded. I think we can win this, too."

_Author's Note: This chapter came out quite easily, and it makes me confident for the remainder of the story to come. I'm trying my damndest to make up for the really weak storytelling this entire saga started out as. (I was 14 when I started writing it) So, forgive the past continuity errors, forgive some of the strange characterizations, and please forgive some of the god-awful jokes (though I can't promise those will go away entirely, haha!) I may go back and edit Part I and the early chapters of Part II to reflect my more mature writing some day, but for now I'm going to focus on making the new material much higher quality. I hope you faithful readers stay with me and see it through to its conclusion (which is still a ways away)._


	21. At the Mountains of Monsters

**Final Fantasy VI-2 - Part II: Clyde's Odyssey**

**Chapter XXI – At the Mountains of Monsters**

The next day, they were all awake by early morning. Fortunately there were no hangovers this time, and _The Liberator _took flight not long after everyone had risen. The Returners were summed back to New Vector for a strategic planning meeting, now that South Figaro, Narshe, and Nikeah had been freed of Geeda's control. The trip was fairly short, and by mid-morning they were assembled in a large briefing room in the capitol where many Imperials were hard at work. Sergeant Hera Orann was in charge of the briefing. She was a young, petite woman with calculating, gray eyes, and her platinum blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun. Celes had been briefly acquainted with her when she was a Private in the former Empire, but they were not exceptionally familiar to each other.

"Very impressive work, everyone," said the Sergeant when everyone settled in.

"I think we're starting to make Thomas Geeda nervous. Our MagiTek is working better than ever, and we have successfully comandeered many Legion vessels out in the World Sea. The esper attacks are becoming more rare, but unfortunately when they _do_ happen, the espers are starting to pair up. Though this war is far from over, and we are not quite close to victory, we at least have his attention as a formidable foe," she continued.

"So what's our next plan of action?" asked Edgar.

"Well, our ships are going to secure the routes between these newly rescued areas, hopefully establishing a useful network of trade and communication. There are no plans for any further direct attacks yet, but we are currently considering our options. As for you, we have been receiving reports of activity in the mountains near Valorin. As far as we know, nothing has attacked the city yet, but we are certain its only a matter of time until something does. We would like for you to go investigate."

"Sounds like a plan," said Setzer.

"Before you head off, however, I do have a request," she added, looking somewhat nervous.

"Anything you need, it's yours," said Locke.

"Well, Captain Gabbiani told us of some of your magical abilities returning to you in Nikeah. Dr. Kethlan, head of our R&D department requested that some of you stay behind for observation and study."

Many of them immediately tensed up, and Celes stepped forward with a startling fury in her eyes.

"Excuse me? You want to cage some of us up and watch us perform magic? Just like the old Empire did to the espers which we are now currently at war with again!?"

"No, no! Please let me explain first!" Orann cried defensively, cowing away from Celes.

"Dr. Kethlan does not want to _experiment_ on you. He just wants to see you utilize some magic and maybe take some blood samples. Nothing more than that! It's just a simple observation to try and understand what is happening with magic returning to the world!" she explained.

Celes was still breathing angrily, but she seemed to back off somewhat after the explanation. Locke quickly stepped forward.

"You promise that this is all completely harmless, and that if somebody wants to back out of the test they can?" he said firmly.

"Y-yes, of course! We would never hold you against your will! This is purely a voluntary thing, and the department understands if you would rather not partake. The only thing is, we would have to keep those who stay over an extended period. This isn't something that can be done in a mere matter of hours."

They stood there thinking for a moment, understandably having doubts about the good intentions of any study like this.

"I'll do it. I can stay," said Terra, coming forward.

"I will too," Daryl added.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, as no one necessarily wanted either of them to be left behind, but they also didn't want to tell them explicity not to go through with it.

"You know what? I will stay as well. You'll probably need someone who never had any control of magic before Magicite, and I was just able to conjure some in Nikeah," said Locke.

"Locke…" Celes began.

"Don't worry, Celes. I think this New Empire has earned our trust at this point. They've put a lot of faith in us fighting against the Legion, and it's time we did something for them closer to home."

"Hey, I wanna stay, too! I haven't been able to use magic yet!" said Relm.

"These variables should work nicely; a half-esper, a mimic, someone who just regained control of magic, and someone who has yet to," said Sgt. Orann.

"If she is staying, then so am I," added Strago, stepping up right behind Relm.

"And a blue mage. Perfect!"

"Is it wise to leave so many of our number behind?" asked Cyan.

"Yeah, especially those capable of using magic so far?" followed Clyde.

"We'll make it work," Celes said firmly, trying her best to be understanding of the situation. Her face was hardened, and she did not want to seem entirely unreasonable by doubting the Empire's intentions.

"Yeah, you guys will be alright. But if you do find anything particularly valuable, try to hold onto it!" said Locke, causing some of them to snicker.

Their goodbyes were quick and not too dramatic, because they knew they would see each other again soon enough. Clyde wasn't exactly sure how to say goodbye to Relm, given recent events, so he settled for a slightly awkward pat on the head, which she found amusing. He asked Interceptor which way he would rather go, and the dog seemed intent on staying with Relm. Clyde was relieved that she would have some extra security and agreed to let him stay. Locke and Celes shared a quick kiss before they all parted ways, and when all was settled, the five volunteers remained in the briefing room and everyone else made their way to _The Liberator_.

"I can understand your apprehension here, Celes. But I think they'll be just fine here in New Vector. This is an entirely different regime now, and they know that what the previous Empire did was immoral and dangerous. They just want to do what they can to defeat Thomas," said Edgar as they entered the ship.

"I know. I just hope that they don't feel like they have to resort to dire methods in the end. It may be harmless study for now, but what happens if they realize they can exploit magic-users again? It always comes down to the ends justifying the means, and I don't want to see that happen."

"I can see your point, and if they hold our friends hostage we'll just have to bust them out, won't we? Though it would be a damn shame to put down that Sergeant. She was pretty cute!"

Celes nodded grimly, giving him a short smile. She wasn't happy about the way things were going today, but she had to believe that Locke and the others were in good hands, and that they wouldn't need them for the battles that might come their way. She sat down in the cabin as Setzer fired up the engines, taking off in the direction of Valorin not long after.

_**Meanwhile**_

"Thank you all for remaining behind to help us with this. If you will follow me, we will meet with Dr. Kethlan and get started right away," said Sgt. Orann.

The five followed her from the briefing room and down a long hallway full of activity. Soldiers and other officers were passing through various doorways along the way, passing intel between different offices of the capitol. It seemed that this kind of activity never ceased around here, and that the Empire worked around the clock to gain the upperhand in this global war.

"Do you guys ever get to even sleep?" asked Daryl, half-joking.

"Oh yes, we are constantly working, but we take it in shifts, of course. The night shift is currently clocking out while their daylight counterparts take over and keep everything going. We can't afford to waste any time not fighting Lord Geeda somehow."

"Even still, how long are your shifts? You've gotta be dead tired by the end of the day!"

"Oh several hours, indeed. But look at yourselves! You are out fighting on the battlefield nearly every day. You know what it takes to save the world, and you don't rest for too long either!"

"Fair point."

They continued deeper into the building, passing through the large main atrium where the activity grew ten-fold. Other than the posted sentries, there wasn't a single person standing still, and everyone had somewhere to be. At one point it was almost difficult to even get across the floor because so many soldiers were heading in one direction at once. Eventually they made it to the other side and entered the Research & Development wing. Compared to the rest of the building, which was very dull, gray, and industrial, this area was sterile and white, almost like a hospital of sorts. The apparel had changed from colorful military wear to crisp white labcoats and light gray uniforms. They were led down more and more hallways before finally entering a large laboratory that was familiar to some of them.

"Hey, this was Cid's old lab!" Locke noted.

"Indeed. Well, a replica at least. After the original was destroyed, we secured the old blueprints and made a similar copy of it, due to its incredibly efficient layout," Hera explained.

"And what a gift it was!" came a booming voice from across the way.

They looked up to see a heavyset man in a labcoat coming their direction. He had a curly mass of gray hair on his head, with a great fluffy beard around his chin, framing his round face. Perched on his hooked nose were circular spectacles, through which he gazed at the new arrivals with excited eyes.

"You are the Returners!?" he inquired.

"They are, Dr. Kethlan. They have volunteered to be observed. Friends, this is Dr. Kethlan, the head of Research & Development for the New Empire."

"A great pleasure to meet you! I wish I could have seen the others as well, but even here with you five I am greatly honored!" he said while enthusiastically shaking each of their hands.

"What is it you would like us to do, exactly?" Locke asked.

"Oh ho! Well, come along with me, my good man. We will take you to the testing area and get started immediately!"

Locke turned to his friends and shrugged before following Kethlan down the length of the lab, passing many technicians and scientists at work. As they walked, the Dr. began to explain immediately.

"So! As we have so far observed, magic appeared to have completely vanished from this world as soon as Kefka's Tower collapsed, correct?"

"Ah, yeah I think-"

Kethlan continued, disregarding the interruption.

"So! Suddenly this man, Thomas Geeda, appears a little over a month ago and has apparently brought espers, and by extension, magic, back into this world! He wields an incredible and almost unrestricted command of magic, and has complete control over every single esper that has thus far been encountered. How he has accomplished this, no one knows for sure, but we have our theories! Anyway, that is not the object of our study. What we are attempting to do is to tap into the latent abilities within people like you, which I am told are gradually manifesting once again. The patterns have shown that as more espers are destroyed, the more magic has been returning to this plane. The inhabitants of Thamasa are gaining their powers back, you are gaining yours, and MagiTek energy is increasing in effectiveness! Logic dictates that the death of an esper results in some manner of magical expulsion. When their bodies dissipate, magical energy is released and absorbed by the living things from this particular world."

"We've figured that-" Locke began again, only to be cut off once more by Kethlan's rambling.

"So! While the cause of magical energy is sufficiently explained, the manner of manifestation in beings of this world is not! There have to be certain psychological and physiological aspects to this phenomenon, and I have set out to discover what that might be! I have designed a series of tests that require certain levels of physical and mental participation, and we will document just how one is able to call upon magic once again after it has been completely absent for a time."

By the time he had finished they found themselves in a room near the back of the lab where many scientists were making notes on pads, and there were several digital viewing screens on the wall in front of them, showing video recordings of various chambers designed in a variety of ways. They all correctly surmised that these would be the chambers they were to be tested in.

"So! Who wants to go first?" Kethlan said with an excited gleam in his eyes.

_**Later**_

The other Returners had set out on their expedition of the mountains by Valorin, having parked _The Liberator _close to the growing town for convenience. Sir Owzer, of course, chose to remain in the town while they went on their expedition. They did not make time to chat with the mayor or any of the townspeople, and opted to head straight up the mountain path, weapons ready and their eyes peeled for any disturbances.

"We're not exactly sure what we are looking for here, so be ready for anything," said Edgar, seeing fit to take the lead in Locke's absence. No one dissented and they were happy to follow.

They climbed ever higher and slowly began to break away as a group, as someone would end up diverting to a different path or tramping through a mass of weeds with their weapons poking and prodding. Cyan and Sabin came across a Crawler at one point, a small, hideous green creature with needle-like teeth. They dispatched it quickly and continued their search. A little while later, Setzer spotted some Mantodea, giant mantises, scavenging for food, but they quickly moved on to another location, ignoring the nearby interlopers. Currently they were fairly high up, having a clear view of Valorin and the nearby shore below them.

"There's really nothing out of the ordinary here. I figured when they said 'monsters' they meant something _really_ serious," he said to Celes.

"I don't think they would have sent us here just for things like this. The reports must have been for something more dangerous," said Clyde, coming up from behind with Gau in tow.

"Smell things. Big animals around!" said the wild boy.

"How big, Gau?" Celes asked.

"Big long-necks are close!"

"Long-necks? Brachosaurs?"

Her own question was answered when a low rumble sounded from a thicket of trees off to their left. They all turned that direction and stood their ground, waiting to see what approached. Just through the trees, the large long-necked dinosaur came ever closer, footsteps thundering into the ground. It had not yet spotted them, but would soon enough if it continued its present course.

"I'd say that's plenty dangerous right there," said Setzer, caressing his Fixed Dice.

"Right. We need a plan of attack. We can't just charge that thing like we used to. Our equipment won't protect us as well. Let's try and sneak-"

"RUN!" came a voice from down the path, cutting Celes off.

The brachosaur looked up just as a blaring roar sounded from nearby. The others turned to see Sabin, Siegfried, and Cyan running up the path, their eyes wide with fear. Celes was about to ask what the matter was, but she soon saw. Two ferocious Tyranosaurs came charging behind the three, gnashing their teeth. She immediately sprung into action and stopped one with a Figa spell, and Setzer stunned the other with a potent blast of his dice. Behind them, the Brachosaur stalked out of the forest to investigate the commotion, and immediately became hostile on the sight of these intruders. Clyde and Gau ran forward to meet it, but were blind-sided by its massive tail and swatted aside like mere pests. Celes and Setzer only just escaped being trampled as it came forward. They were about to take it on themselves, but were surprised when one of the Tyranosaurs lunged for the Brachosaur, clamping its teeth down at the base of its neck. The Brachosaur let out a booming cry and shook the carnivore off, whipping it with its tail.

"Praise be to the food chain!" said Setzer.

Sabin and his fellow runners came back around in a wide circle, having noticed the brewing confrontation between the great beasts. Clyde and Gau recovered and joined them as well, watching the fight with great interest and apprehension.

"How long do you think they'll stay occupied?" Celes wondered.

"As long as it takes for one of the two sides to die, leaving us the remainder," said Clyde.

"Let's hope the Brachosaur takes out one of the Tyranos and then gets whacked itself. That sounds good!" said Sabin.

"Sabin, that is one hell of a gamble. I think the odds are stacked in the Brachosaur's favor through and through," Setzer whispered over his shoulder, hoping their conversation was not making them noticeable.

Unfortunately that did not matter much longer. The Tyranosaurs had only just begun to square off against the Brachosaur before the latter hunkered down and summoned a devastating Ultima spell, the blue wave of energy expanding outward with a deep hum. The other two creatures were no match for it, and were immediately wiped out. Several of the Returners cursed under their breath as the Brachosaur turned its attention their way.

"Just like old times, eh?" Setzer said shakily.

"We shan't fear this great beast!" Cyan boasted.

"Let us meet it in battle!" Siegfried added.

The two swordsmen ran forward and attacked it on either side, slashing its forelegs. The dinosaur cried out and snapped at Cyan as he ran past, just barely missing him. Setzer hurled his Fixed Dice and rolled a moderate hit on the creature, which Sabin followed up with his Aura Bolt. The monster was barely phased, and it stomped forward with remarkable speed for its size. The heroes cleared a path, and Clyde took an opportunity to strike the side of its belly with his sword. Gau summoned one of his Rages and struck a powerful blow to one of its hind legs after. Soon, they all had the beast surrounded, making it unsure of which person should be its priority.

"It looks confused! Keep hitting it from all sides!" Celes called.

"Hey! You guys having all this fun without us?" came Edgar's voice from behind.

The king came running up the path, followed by Umaro, Mog, and Malain. He had his Auto Bow Gun at the ready and fired a round of bolts into the Brachosaur's hide, which brought its attention his way. Umaro bounded ahead and jumped into the air to attack. It threw its fist across the monster's face and sent it reeling backwards a ways. The onslaught became relentless and overwhelming, and the Brachosaur simply stood no chance against them en masse. With one final roll of the dice, Setzer dispatched the creature finally, and they breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"Just like the old days, training in the forest!" said Edgar when they had regrouped.

"I think you remember that time a little too fondly, bro," said Sabin, rubbing his sore muscles.

"Alright, we need to keep moving. That can't be the last of the monsters around here," said Celes.

"Are we seriously going to try and kill _everything_ here?" asked Sabin.

"Too many monsters!" Gau added.

"Ugah! Ooh ooh!" Umaro agreed.

"We're not here to make the local dinosaur population extinct. The Empire knew those things existed, and I don't think that's what they saw before," Celes explained.

"Indeed. It seems unlikely that Thomas Geeda doth not have servants in every corner of the world at present," said Cyan.

"So, let's move out!" said Edgar, strutting towards the nearby forest.

Most of them followed him into the green, though Mog volunteered to stay on the outside with Umaro and Gau to check things out around the forest. Celes simply shrugged her agreement and went on into the forest right behind Clyde.

"Yes! Let's go, kupo!" said Mog.

"Hey! Try and steer clear of anything too powerful! If you need help just call out for us!" Setzer yelled from the forest.

"What?" Mog called back.

"I SAID-"

Setzer was cut short by a loud bellow from the foliage. He looked round to see a large three-horned creature coming straight at him, it's crested head dipped forward with the intent to gore. He threw himself out of the way and landed against a nearby tree, catching a fuller glimpse of the beast as it rumbled past. He had never seen anything quite like it, but had read a description of it once before and guessed that this was the rare Tritops, another dinosaur species from the dangerous forest that used to be near these mountains before being submerged in water.

"Setzer, art thou okay!?" Cyan called.

"Yeah!" he responded, suffering only a few scuffs to his coat.

By now, the Tritops had noticed his disappearance, and it looked around wildly for him before setting eyes on Clyde, who had attempted to sneak up on the creature. Having been spotted, he dashed from the clearing into a small cluster of trees, hoping to draw it in an keep it in close quarters. Out in the open they were much more vulnerable, he thought. The beast let out another low roar and stamped its right foot into the ground before charging forward. Clyde's illusion of safety was thoroughly shattered when it rammed straight into one of the trees, splintering the bark and almost toppling it completely. He quickly moved from his position to meet up with the others, who were already ready to do battle again.

"We've never seen this one before!" said Sabin.

"Yet we shall treat it with the same courtesy as all murderous beasts!" said Cyan, readying his sword.

The monster turned to face them and charged again. Now that they knew what to expect, they easily dodged the attack and got in a few hits of their own. Sabin, however, was a little to close to its tail when it whipped it from side to side, winding him and knocking him to the ground. Cyan and Clyde attacked again from behind before grabbing hold of Sabin and helping him get away before the three of them were in trouble. The Tritops roared again, turning to its attackers and ignoring the others, who had begun to surround it just as they had done to the Brachosaur. It growled deeply and stomped one foot into the ground, then it reared up on its hind legs and stomped with both front feet. The ground suddenly ruptured with energy as the creature cast Quake, knocking everyone off their feet. The damaging spell left them all dazed for a moment.

The dinosaur did not attack immediately. It simply waited to see what they would do, not sensing any danger while they were on the ground. It snorted angrily, and whipped its head around, unsure of who would make the first move. Setzer, meanwhile, was looking around trying to get his bearings when he saw two Mantodea scuttling his way. He instinctively recoiled at their approach and shot into the air with a small cry of alarm. The Tritops focused on him and ran forward for another attempted impalement, only to be stopped as Edgar's Chainsaw came buzzing down and dealt immense damage to the beast. Celes engaged the two mantises at once, hacking and slashing viciously while sending as much magic their way as she could. Malain ran forward to lend a hand, bouncing around nimbly on his feet as he dealt out powerful kicks.

"Kuuuuppooooo! Ruuuuuuun!" came Mog's voice from not too far away.

They all glanced up momentarily to see the moogle and Gau perched on Umaro's shoulders, who was running full pelt into the forest. Clyde was wondering what they were thinking, but then he saw the hideous monstrosity that followed them in, uprooting trees with powerful blasts of wind.

The last time he remembered seeing Chupon, he was an ugly, pink mess of a creature with a gaping mouth full of teeth. But now, with the influence of Thomas Geeda's power very apparent, Chupon had become much more grotesque. It was almost as if multiple Chupons had attempted to meld into one being. The incredibly wide body sported two mouths, one contorted upwards with the original's familiar grin, and the other contorted the opposite way almost like a frown. There were three pairs of eyes across the upper part of its face, with two stray ones located below either side of the mouths. What it had for hands was almost indescribable: There were numerous little stubs of hands poking out every which way, each one a little more developed than the other, but not enough to count as functioning hands; but it was the three monstrous and far more developed hands at the end of long, spindly arms that were the real threat, their long claws swiping through the air.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" said Edgar in utter disbelief.

The normally quiet Chupon flew in making bizarre babbling noises, interceded with a few snarls and wheezing grunts. Even the Tritops and the Mantodea were intimidated by its presence, quickly fleeing the scene. The Returners had no choice but to confront the malformed creature, certain that this is what the Empire had mentioned in their report. Umaro slowed his run when he had reached the safety of his friends, and they all stood their ground to face the nearing Chupon. When it reached them, it simply hovered in the air a moment, its multiple eyes darting around madly as if trying to solve a problem. Then, it drew back with a great intake of air, and most of them knew what was coming next. They braced themselves, but were not prepared for the amazing power of the Sneeze it unleashed. It was as if a massive shockwave had emanated from its mouth, and they were all sent flying through the air at high speeds. Some of them crashed directly into trees, while others continued to spin through the air with no idea when they would stop.

Finally, Clyde tumbled out of the forest, still carried by his own momentum. He rolled across the ground before crashing against a large rock jutting up just at the edge of the nearby cliff face, which was a straight drop down into the nearby World Sea. He let out a mighty groan at the intense pain, and it was through very hazy eyesight that he looked up and saw a great purple tentacle creeping up from the cliff's edge.

_Author's Note: Tritops is a monster based on triceratops that obviously isn't in Final Fantasy VI, but I felt like it would fit in with the other dinosaur monsters. I feel like some RPG or another had a creature in it called Tritops, but I can't remember what._


End file.
